#I don’t like Sirius and I love shape but I won’t immediately act like Sirius did everything wrong and snape is a poor victim lmao

[inhumanetrash]

No because why is bashing sooo common in Harry Potter fanfiction. Are yall incapable of seeing more than one side to a character you don’t like??

[forthehpfanboys]

Intact

Pair: George Weasley x Reader; he/him.

Summary: Life goes to hell when your mother, who happens to be Bellatrix LeStrange AND a Death Eater, finds out you joined the Order of the Phoenix with your boyfriend. 

Warnings: Swearing, child abuse?, I guess it's more like assault? Dark, probably graphic?? 

Notes: 100/10 on this one. Honestly it was fun to write-

~DO NOT REPOST ANYWHERE~

-

You knew the moment you stepped into the house she knew and it wasn’t a good thing. The house was borderline destroyed from the glass shattered on the floor from the ‘family portrait’ on the floor to the burn marks across walls. Your shoes crunched as you walked across the remains of the crystal chandler that's been in the house for generations. You entered the living room and was immediately struck with a spell that had your black slamming into the wall. 

"You rat! You sniveling, useless, pathetic little rodent!” Her hoarse voice revealed how long she’d been screaming. She kicked the coffee table in the center of the room off to the side. “I should've known!" your mother screamed, her wand tightening in her hand. Her arm stayed stretched out, showing her lack of hesitance and empathy toward you. "You were always so ungrateful! So unbelievably selfish!" You held your head in your hands. A headache was throbbing beside your temples- you must've really hit your head on the wall- and her screaming was not helping it out at all. Her yells echoed in the house, almost shaking the shattered windows of the living room.

"What are you going on about?" you asked, finally raising your head to look at her. Her makeup was messy, her hair was an actual rats nest and her eyes were darker than you've ever seen. She looked insane, more so than usual.

"Don't act like you don't know! You betrayed the Dark Lord for that.. That boy!" Bellatrix screeched out, making long steps across the shard covered carpet to corner you. "Honestly! A Weasley, (Y/n)! A blimey, no good for nothing blood traitor! I raised you better than that!"

You stared at her with wide eyes. She knew. Oh, of course she knew who you were sneaking out almost every night to see! She probably found out herself or maybe Draco tattled, that coward. It didn’t matter how she knew, she knew you were with a Weasley, sneaking out almost every night to see him, the other Weasleys and the Order. 

"Raised me? I'm sorry, raised me?!" You genuinely had to laugh at that. "You can not take credit for how I came out! You didn't raise me!  No, no even close! You dropped me off at the Malfoys like a stray dog.” You didn’t even flinch when she jabbed her wand right under your chin, a sneer growing on her features. 

You tried to ignore how much it hurt to be ditched by your own mother, forced to swivel and basically praise the Malfoys for taking in someone like you. You were nothing compared to Draco. Everyone wanted a compliant son like Draco, but no, you had to be different, see your mother for how she really was. You could remember when she showed up one random day after graduating your 4th year, claiming she loved you, missed you, how times got too tough to have a baby boy around the house. The thought now made you sick. She didn’t care about you for fourteen years, but suddenly she does. Since then, life has been hell. Except around George. 

“I should’ve left you on the streets.” Her voice was barely a whisper as she grabbed your shoulder. Her unusually sharp nails seemed to phase right through your shirt. “I should’ve drowned you in a river, I should’ve given you to the Dark Lord himself.” Her nails dug deeper into your skin, puncturing it, leading to small droplets of red to seep into the cotton of your shirt. Your pain must’ve made itself known because she smirked and tossed her head back in loud laughter that made your temples throb again. “I should’ve killed you myself.” She pulled away from you, stepping back a few paces before turning swiftly to face you once again. She did a curtsy, not taking her eyes off you. 

“Clearly, there’s a lot we both should’ve done.” Your voice cracked as you pulled out your own wand from your pocket, holding it tightly. You stepped forward a few spaces and bowed, understanding what she wanted. She wanted you to suffer. She casted a spell before you could even blink, her laugh echoed in the house again.

“Crucio!” 

Your body slammed against the wall a second time, except this time, it felt like your heart was actually going to stop. It felt like every nerve was being ripped in half one by one, like you were being burned alive but drowning in an icy river at the same time. You physically couldn’t stop the scream of pure agony that ripped from your throat. 

You crashed to the floor as your muscles tensed up. The spell lifted before another scream could fly from your lips, giving your now aching muscles a break. You curled into a tight  ball, your knees to your chest, as your.. ‘Mother’ let out yet another cackling laugh. Honestly, you weren’t sure she ever stopped.

“What’s wrong, (Y/n)? Too much for you? Maybe I should just call you Weasley. You’re just as pathetic and dimwitted as they are.” She giggled, bouncing on her feet, before doing a spin. “Oh, I do love your scream though.” 

You were trying to blink through the tears and ignore the way your gut was twisting itself up. You officially envied anyone who said crap about Longbottom's parents- they didn’t deserve this. Through the tears, your eyes landed on your wand, just in arms reach. With a shaky, weak hand, you reached for it, an equally shaky breath leaving your lips when your fingertips grazed across the wood. It was so close. that was, until a heal came to rest into the back of your hand.

“Oh, I’m sorry, my insane rambling is too boring for you, is it?” Bellatrix spat out. She lowered herself onto one knee, putting testing her weight against the bones in your skin. You sucked in a breath, your eyes squinting shut. While she was down there, she decided to go on a tangent on how her life was so difficult, how she couldn’t have her love with her, whoever the fuck that was, and how she was a good mother. 

“You’re such a bitch.” You whispered out. While the witch was so worried about your hand and spitting all over your face with her sob story, you’d managed to grab your wand. You threw a punch, right to her crooked grin. The punch wasn’t your strongest, but it gave you enough leeway to wiggle your hand free and aim your wand at her, casting stupefy to throw her back. Before she could do anything else, you booked it out the door, running as fast as you could. You didn’t look behind you when she started screaming again.

“Ingrate! Go run off to those pathetic blood-traitors! You deserve to be with your own kind! A bunch of filthy low-lives!” 

You rounded the corner and apparated to where you knew they would be, where you’d be safe. With a crisp pop, you were in front of the door of none other than Sirius’ Black’s home. You didn’t bother knocking, you didn’t need too. You stumbled into the house, effectively cutting off everyone’s casual conversation in the living room. You ignored Molly’s gentle calls and Remus trying to see if you were ok. You just sprinted up the stairs, calling for your boyfriend. 

You didn’t even realize you were crying until your body collided with George’s, his arm wrapping tightly around your waist while the other went straight to your hair. He rocked your back and forth, his voice whispering everything was going to be ok in your ear. You didn’t even notice the crowd forming behind you.

“Cupcake, I’m going to need you to tell me what happened, ok?” He gently pulled you from his chest, his hands cupping your wet cheeks to wipe away your tears.

“She knows. Someone told her- or- or she followed us but she knows and-” You took in a shaky breath, being gently dragged back into a hug by the ginger. You couldn’t see it, but George, while never usually one to jump to violence, was close to throwing hands.

“LeStrange?” He asked, wanting clarification over who the ‘she’ actually was. When you nodded into his chest, his arms tightened around you. “Ok,’ he whispered, “ok, how about we go assess the damage, hmm?” He guided you down the hall, ignoring the questions about what happened, and taking you straight to the clean bathroom. 

George shut the door once you were sitting on the edge of the bathtub. He wasn’t quite sure if he was more heartbroken over the fact that you were shaking, struggling to breath and bouncing your leg rapidly or pissed that she dared to lay a hand on you. He knelt in front of you, a sad smile across his lips as he rubbed your knees. “What did she do, love?” 

You told him about the wrecked house, the yelling, the headache, the tiny scabs on your shoulder and how she fucking stood on your hand. You left out the curse, worried he’d actually go over there himself and hex the daylights out of her. No one would admit it but any Weasley could easily go from lovable dorks to murderous slayers in 3.4 seconds if provoked correctly. 

“Can I see your shoulder? I want to make sure it won’t get infected with whatever she carries.” His fingers gently pulled at the hem of your shirt, his eyes staring into yours as he waited for your approval. You suddenly found it hard to speak. He wasn’t gentle all the time, but when he was, it always stole your breath. 

When you finally nodded and raised your arms, he slipped your shirt over your head. The fabric slipped from his grasp as he stared at your bare chest, shoulders and arms. You could see every emotion flickering past his irises- worry, sadness, anger. 

“What?” You followed his gaze. Along your chest, stomach and shoulders, a bright red pattern of welts had formed. How you didn’t notice, you weren’t sure, but now that you were looking at them, they started throbbing. The marks seemed to mimic lightning bolts, but rounder, breaking apart and covering your body, but they all started at one spot. An angry lopsided organic shape stood out below your right peck, just on your rib cage- that was where the spell hit. The marks didn’t stop at your shoulders, or your neck. They traveled down to your very fingertips and a few made themselves known just along your jaw and across your cheek.

“(Y/n),” His use of your first name unnerved you, “what aren’t you telling me?” George’s hand reached out to gently touch where the bitch’s spell hit you while his eyes flicked up to yours. You stayed quiet, your chest shaking as you took in another nervous breath. You licked your lips, thinking over your next words carefully.

“She may have used the Cruciatus Curse on me.” You looked down at your hands, fiddling with your fingers. You heard him take a sharp breath. He whispered a quick ‘can you give me a moment?’ before walking out of the bathroom. You heard his heavy footsteps travel down the hall before a door slammed open, rattling the mirror hanging on the bathroom wall. 

“Freddie, I’m going to fucking lose it!” George’s voice carried easily through the hallway, causing you to jump. “No, I will not calm down! Shut up and listen!” The younger twin never spoke to his brother like that. “The crucio curse, Fred! The fucking, the, you know! For- I swear-” The door to the shared room slammed shut, the rattling mirror doing it’s thing again as you sat awkwardly in the bathroom alone. George kept going on and on about stuff you could no longer make out, but you could assume they were death threats sworn to come true.

After about 2 minutes, George came back, Fred trailing right behind him, a baggy Irish themed quidditch shirt and a pair of red sweatpants in his arms. George set the clothes down while Fred looked at the marks. 

“Bloody hell.” Fred sat down next to you. “Do they still hurt?” He let out a sigh of relief when you shook your head no. “Thank Merlin for that.” 

While Fred was chatting away, George had knelt in front of you again, his hand on the ball joint of your shoulder, his wand in his other hand. He whispered a quick healing curse on the five scabs before handing you the Irish t-shirt. 

“You ok?” George asked once the shirt was on. His hands had come back to your knees at some point and you weren’t quite sure when, but you appreciated the familiar warmth. 

“I don’t know. “ Your eyes were cast downward at the marks across your forearms and wrist, your eyebrows furrowed in frustration. “I… Don’t you think they’re.. Meeeh?” You raised your arms a little, referring to the scars. 

“Really?” The red-head trouble makers asked in unison, causing you to turn between them a few times. 

“What?” 

“Sunshine.” George spoke up from the floor, his hands twiddling together as he got your attention. He smiled a little when your eyes looked down into his. “Remember Umbridge?”

“Of course I do. I was there- I left with you guys-”

“Hush, I’m trying to be inspirational.” His words cause you to grin and snort. “Well, then you must remember the quill.” He brought his hand into your view, showing what he thought was oh so important he told you to hush. The scars from the quill were still there, only faded, but still extra pale against his normal tone. “You could hardly see ours anymore, love.”

You reached out for his hand hesitating, but in the end, you were running your fingers across the skin, noting the change in textures. You turned to Fred, who flashed you the same grin and held his hand up, revealing the same scars. 

“Right..” You smiled, turning back to the twin you called yours. “They fade but-”

“-let you tell stories that strengthen you.” The twins finished, a wider smile on both of their faces. Fred stood up, ruffling your hair before heading out of the bathroom. George stood up after handing you the sweats. 

“I’ll let you get dressed here, cupcake. Come on back to the room whenever you're ready.” George planted a kiss to your cheek before planting one swift one to your lips and heading out of the bathroom, shutting the door softly behind him.

“What would Molly say?” You asked, changing your pants and confirming the scars did run down to your ankles.

“After what you went through? She wouldn’t have the heart to make you stay anywhere else.” George called through the door before walking down the hallway to his room. You splashed some cold water on your face, hoping to wash away some of the trauma today would leave behind. 

Once your face was dry, you walked from the bathroom, to the shared room with the twins. You didn’t bother knocking once again, knowing you were more welcomed here than anywhere else. You plopped yourself on the bed, besides your boyfriend and snuggled into his side. Sure today would leave scars, mental and physical, but as George’s arms wrapped around you, you realized he was all you would need to stay intact in the end. 

And yeah, George did keep his promise for revenge in the end.

[casualmaraudering]

so i can't get family feels out of my head so have some headcanons feat wolfstar having their first baby

Sirius is immediately so excited at first

and even though it's a nine month long wait (even longer with a procedure of getting a surrogate and all) he's so very happy

he physically cannot go shopping without coming back with at least one bag of baby stuff

the socks are so tiny, he's not strong enough to resist

he clears a room in the house right away. Remus doesn't let him turn it into a nursery that fast, but they designate it as the baby stuff pile and so Sirius puts all the shopping bags there

and really, Remus acts as if he's more calm about the whole ordeal but he also contributes to the baby pile quite fast

Sirius will randomly grin to him and go "we're gonna have a family" and how can you not love this man when he's this happy about it?

around the halfway mark is where things turn different

it's when they start painting the nursery, buying furniture, and slowly coming up with names when Sirius has A Thought

it being: what if i end up like my parents

what if the baby hates me like i hated my dad and mom

what if they won't feel at home here like i did

he panics, and internalises it, and therefore freaks himself out even more

he lets it slip during a dinner with James and Lily. the remainder of the dinner is spent with everyone telling him what a fantastic dad he's going to be and why are his thoughts such bullshit

even Regulus texts him the next day saying the kid will be happy to have such a home

they don't have a baby shower so to say, but there is a gathering of friends and family where everyone gifts them things. and also there's cute cupcakes (gender neutral ones, cause Sirius and Remus 1 don't want to make the gender a weirdly big deal 2 they want to find out at birth so no gender reveals) and James cries a lot about being an uncle

Sirius quits smoking finally

Sirius decides he doesn't need instructions to put furniture together

he is immediately defeated by an ikea wardrobe

Remus puts it together with surprising ease. he uses the instructions though

the nursery is yellow (Remus's favourite colour)

Sirius buys so many glow in the dark stars. so. many

the stars and the moon are a theme, of course. there's a little mobile with some stars and the moon in the centre, the furniture has star shaped handles, there's a little space rug, and there's also wolf and dog plushies - they go all out and yes, it's sappy, but it's their baby okay, they get to be sappy

they spend a lot of nights just cuddled together and talking about the family they'll have

Sirius cries so hard when he sees the baby for the first time

Remus also cries. but Sirius honestly tears up every time he sees the baby for like. the entire day

just imagine those two boys holding hands and having the biggest smiles on their faces looking at their little baby

the few black hairs on his head and the tiny hands and the little feet and small chubby cheeks

they name him Leo

(Regulus has no excuse not to visit now)

they talk to the baby a lot

Remus reads him his favourite books as a way to pass time. Pride and Prejudice, Dorian Gray, LOTR, all that. he also comments quite a lot, pretending as if he's having an actual discussion with a one month old baby

Sirius's favourite past time is just holding his baby, or just literally lying there while Leo sleeps on his chest. it's so simple and yet he's so happy about it

Sirius starts to wear his hair in a very secure bun. having a baby pulling your hair is very much not a fun thing

Remus has a pretty unregulated lifestyle anyway so he's mostly up at night, while Sirius loves to get up in the morning so he's in charge of breakfast and entertaining in the mornings

sometimes if it's particularly early and Remus argues he doesn't want to get out of bed yet, Sirius will just put Leo into bed with Remus and they'll just hang out there, it's extremely adorable

Sirius sings french lullabies, and talks in french quite a lot. basically any time Remus isn't around his brain wires back to french and so the baby will absolutely be bilingual at this rate

Remus goes back to work when Leo is around 6 months old - he's a very work oriented person, he'd honestly go insane if he had to stay at home all the time

Sirius is more than happy to rebrand to a stay at home dad

it only results in a handful of disasters a day at first

Remus doesn't need to know ok

Sirius likes to say he's got his shit together emotionally and then Leo says his first word (which is 'dada') and he cries so hard

Remus will have Leo on his lap when grading homework and will, of course, chat with his dutiful assistant quite a lot

"Can you imagine Maddie wrote this? This is the worst paper of hers I've ever read"

"Bwaba"

"Exactly. I'll have to have a word with her on Monday"

James visits them at least twice a week, he can't just not see his favourite nephew less often ok

Leo's first Halloween, Sirius dresses him up as a little ghost

they don't go trick or treating, but they take a lot of pictures. and then when the baby sleeps the adult eat far too much candy and watch horror movies and snuggle

Sirius has always had a Christmas spirit, but when it's Leo's first Christmas it hits So much harder than usual

he decorates the house on the first of december and nearly falls off the ladder several times

his Google history for the month being: "can a 9 month old drink eggnog" "can a baby eat gingerbread cookies" "can i take a baby sledding" and whatnot

despite that the house has too many decorations, Remus really doesn't mind the holiday spirit cause Sirius is truly in his element every December, and now he seems twice as happy as usual

he, of course, puts mistletoe on the doorframe of the kitchen. cause yes they're married with a baby but that doesn't mean they can't make out in the door like teenagers

James puts a hat with antlers on Leo and proceeds to take so many pictures and send them to literally everyone he knows

Lily and Sirius make and decorate gingerbread cookies and this time there's only a few penis shaped ones. they've all grown up yall

Leo gets the most presents, of course

and by the time he's in bed sleeping, and everyone leaves after Christmas dinner, Sirius and Remus curl up by the fireplace and talk about what a good year they've had

and when New Year's comes along, their only resolutions are to try and make their little boy as happy as possible

[idk-maybe-i-did-it]

Hidden- Harry Potter x Reader

Tis be a request by @missmulti it’s a tad trashier than not but I hope you like it.

!Non Voldy A/U!

Warnings: Implied Abuse, Implied sexual inter course, light cursing

Les Start:

Y/n L/n, the Slytherin who he fled from. Whereas the boy fled purposely towards Malfoy he deliberately fled from her.

Because not only did he feel intimidated by her, he also felt threatened by her mere presence as well.

Y/n was a girl who wasn’t afraid to speak her mind and she certainly wasn’t afraid to be upfront about the way she wanted to act. So Harry hoped he wasn’t the only one who felt intimidated by the girl.

———————————————————————

As Harry sat down next Ron in Transfiguration that Monday morning he noted how Professor McGonagall looked exceptionally sly that morning.

He hadn’t realized that he would have to sit next to Y/n L/n for the semesters entirety until she started talking to him about their class work. At first he didn’t say much to her for fear that she would prejudice him for being half-blood. Yet, when she started talking with him he could sense kindness in her voice and he trudged towards it.

Turns out Y/n wasn’t a stuck-up prejudiced bastard. She had been nothing but kind to him and his friends and he soon found himself yearning for her in his other classes, in the hallways, before he went to bed and when he woke up in the mornings.

Ron suspected him, Hermione already knew and Ginny pointed out to him that she lived onto a few blocks away from him.

Harry had to thank Ginny for that piece of information and just had to ask Y/n to confirm. Of course Ginny had been correct in her accusation and Harry soon figured out that Y/n had been treated worse by the Slytherins in her non-prejudiced state than he’d come to realize.

Alas, the summer had come nearer and Harry was forced to bid the girl farewell as he left the platform with his mum, dad and Sirius.

James came to notice that his son had been sending more letters than normal and went to find the bottom of it.

Harry was merely sit by his desk, writing another letter to Y/n, when he heard a knock by his door and turned abruptly in his chair to see his father leaning against the doors doorframe. James nodded at Harry and folded his arms.

“ May I come in Harry?”

The boy immediately responded by nodding his head and James moved inside the small room of Harry’s, gently shutting the door behind himself and setting on the edge of his bed, next his desk.

James folded his arms and leaned back to look at Harry. “ So, who’ve you been talking to so much recently? Because I know it hasn’t been Ron or Hermione, they don’t talk this much. And by the looks of your face whenever a letter comes in I’d bet it’s a girl.”

Harry’s face flushed and he stumbled over words as they tried to spew his mouth. James laughed and clapped Harry on the shoulder. “ Okay so I know it’s a female now, no bidding it Harry. Who is she? Does she look nice?”

Harry’s face paled and he swallowed the lump in his throat at his father’s question. The boy reached back and awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.

“ W- Well yeah, she’s good looking...”

James’ face lost the playful smirk and he noticed the tension in Harry’s voice. The man leaned forward and gave him a serious look, his voice steely.

“ Harry you never answered my other question, who is she? What’s her name? What house is she in? Who’re her parents?”

Harry awkwardly let out a breath and looked the other direction,

“ She’s a L/n.”

James Immediately paused at the boy’s tone and the name that caught on his tongue. Soon enough though, James snapped out of it and abruptly stood, moving out of the room and into their sitting-room where he found Sirius and Lily talking.

“ He’s friends with the L/n’s kid.”

The other two’s conversation paused at James’s disruption and Sirius slowly stood. “ The girl he keeps getting letters from, she’s a L/n?”

Sirius’ voice was hesitant and his posture was rigid.

__________________________________________

Dear Harry,

I’m sorry to hear your parents don’t approve of my presence however I am rather glad to hear that they’ve allowed me to come and visit you sometime.

I terribly miss our conversations that ended in ice-cream sessions on the kitchen floor at three a.m. though. Maybe your parents might let us eat some ice-cream while I’m over. And I’m sorry to say my parents don’t approve of our friendship either.

They’ve been ignoring me more than normal lately and mum even forgot to make me a plate last night at dinner. My brother snuck me some food under my door after that because dad locked me in again.

See you tomorrow!

Love,

Y/n.

Harry smiled at her letter and Sirius watched as his face brightened from his place from where he sat at the table. Remus elbowed James at his disapproving scowl and Sirius nodded at James as he left to go after Harry when he began upstairs to his bedroom.

Harry went to close his bedroom door when Sirius walked in and sat next him by the bed.

“ You love her don’t you Harry?”

The boy jumped back slightly in surprise at his question before he timidly nodded. “ Yeah, I don’t think dad wants me to though, he thinks that just because she’s in Slytherin and that she’s a L/n that she’s an arse who hates all blood types but pure.”

Sirius placed his elbows on his knees and leaned forward. “ Nah he doesn’t Harry. Your dad just wants to keep you safe and the L/n’s would only bring you harm.”

Harry quickly shook his head.

“ Y/n isn’t like them, she’s nice and she’s funny and kind and she’s an entirely different type of brilliant. She doesn’t even care about blood-status and you don’t even know how many times I’ve seen her hex people who’ve picked on kids with lower status.”

Sirius nodded at Harry. “ I know that. I’m guessing that her family doesn’t take well to you two’s friendship?”

Sirius nodded towards the letter in Harry’s hand and he motioned towards the stack of letters she’d sent to him so far.

“ Well, no, not really. I mean, they already ignored her a lot because she didn’t like the pureblood mania and Y/n says that after figuring out about us talking they’d even started to lock her in her room for days at a time and forget to feed her sometimes too.”

James, Lily and Remus stood from their positions by Harry’s door as Sirius frowned at the words spilling out of Harry’s mouth.

———————————————————————

Harry sat on the porch-swing of his home the next day, patiently waiting for Sirius to arrive back on his motorcycle with Y/n.

Sirius pulled up to the adress he’d been given and had to sigh. This was the same neighborhood, the same bloody neighborhood he used to go to as a kid when his mum made them attend balls. However, he wasn’t left waiting for long because soon a h/c girl about Harry’s age stepped out of the house with a backpack slung over her shoulder, red mark on her face.

Sirius was surprised to see her in muggle clothing when she walked nearer to him.

“ Won’t your mum make you change into ‘proper’ attire? If I remember how M/n acts correctly then I’m sure she would’ve made you dress in a black skirt with a green shirt.”

Sirius gave the girl an inquiring look when she shook her head. The girls next words were full of malice. “ Nah you’re right there. She just doesn’t give two damns about what I wear s’long as I dress the right way in public and don’t speak out.”

Sirius nodded his head to the girl and kept a frown on his face as they began to walk where he’d left the motorcycle. As they sat down on it and he passed her a helmet the man got a clear look at her face and the red mark left on it. It was in the shape of a hand.

“ What happened to your face kid? M/n do that or was it her husband F/n?”

As he started the engine up again Sirius noticed her silence and knew she’d been finding an excuse.

“ You don’t have to make anything up Y/n, I had been in a similar position most of my life so I’m not stupid.”

As they neared the Potters household and he helped her off the bike Sirius came and held her back as she tried to move towards Harry.

“ Does he know? Or is it something new happening, he told us your parents weren’t keen on having you over here and knowing Harry.”

“ No, he doesn’t because it’s something new. I’ve got it under control okay.”

———————————————————————

The two teenagers lay laughing on Harry’s bed while they played a game of wizards chess. Harry had just been telling Y/n a story about his father and Sirius when they were called down.

Harry said he needed to get something so Y/n went ahead to help his mother prepare the food. As she walked into the kitchen where Lily was standing she saw Harry’s father talking heatedly with Sirius and his mum. She knew what they were talking about, it had been obvious by the looks James had been giving her the whole day.

Lily liked to think Y/n was sweet and she loved it when the girl tried to help her with things. Lily noticed the girl walk into the kitchen and immediately tried to walk over and cease conversation. When her husband and best friends conversation continued despite her efforts at stopping it she moved over to the doe-eyed girl and tried to calm her.

“ I’m sorry Mrs. Potter, this fighting is my fault. I’m- I think I’ll go home now...”

Lily’s efforts to stop the girl failed miserably and she stood in her house’s doorway watching the girl walk away.

“ She left James! She’s probably about to go home to house of ignorance and hatred because of your stupid bloody prejudice against Slytherins! My cousin.”

James’s face turned and he looked past Sirius’s shoulder, shoving him towards the door lightly.

“ Go find her, it’s dark outside, she’s a 15 year old girl Sirius, and she’s your cousin so go find her.

“ Mum where’d Y/n go?”

———————————————————————

Sirius finally came to a stop and sat next to the girl on the swing.

“ I’m sorry I made you guys fight. I make mum and dad fight too sometimes, It’s not like I want to.”

Sirius laid a hand on her shoulder.

“ Y/n, you don’t make us fight, Harry’s dad just doesn’t like our family much. Harry loves you, His mum loves you, His dad does too and I love you too Y/n. We’re family, we’ve gotta stick together okay. Now do you think you’ll come back to the house with me so your boyfriend’ll stop complaining about you not being there?”

Y/n laughed at Sirius and he smiled at her before standing. “ Don’t worry, I won’t tell Lily I saw you two snogging earlier.”

———————————————————————

“ Y/n can you grab my wand off the counter so I can hang this up?”

“ You’ll have to specify which wand of yours my kind and loving husband, because if you don’t I might just go and grab the wrong one.”

Harry could hear the smirk in her voice and James had to turn around and pretend he didn’t hear her words as Sirius snickered.

“ Harry James Potter not while my grandson is around!”

———————————————————————

I haven’t proof read this yet so idk how trashy it is- Anyway, hope ya liked it!

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Drink some water, eat some food, take a screen break and remember You Are Loved!

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[stars-a-n-d-scars]

10 Days of Summer - Chapter 2

Hey guys! Here is chapter two!!! As always, constructive criticism is welcome, homophobic bitching is not. I love you!!

***

Sirius had always been an early riser. There was just something about the way the sun shot pink and orange daggers to shatter the impenetrable frost of the night that drew him. Soothed him. He couldn’t count how many mornings he had spent on the roof of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, observing a world rarely seen. Keeping the company of the moon, she who shone her light for unseeing eyes, as she slipped from dark’s cruel grasp and was liberated, to finally rest. Watching as, one by one, the stars faded into nothingness and the great eastern orb returned to claim the sky for its own. And so, it will likely come as no surprise that when we rejoin our protagonist, he is partaking in the same activity as he had every morning for the last 12 years.

The sun had a peculiar way of setting the world on fire. It was never loud or obnoxious. It didn’t burst into the sky in a shower of confetti and yell of its presence for all to hear. It seeped over the horizon, inch by inch, so that even the most attentive of onlookers could never pinpoint the exact moment that night turned to day. Sirius sat perched on the roof of the Potter’s, watching smoke from his cigarette unfurling in that inexplicable, mesmerizing way that it does. But one can only sit alone on a roof for so long before one’s mind starts to wander. In Sirius’ case, it found its way to the boy sleeping on the sofa downstairs.

He had always been drawn by Remus. From the moment they’d met, something about that awkward, scar-ridden 11-year-old had caught his eye. Maybe it was the way his timid hands had quivered when they shook hands for the first time, or the way his eyes gleamed with a type of gold that a thousand goblins couldn’t conjure. Ever since that moment, he always wanted to be around him. To be close to him. It was impossible to explain, but Sirius was under a spell that not even the most powerful wizard in the world could break.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of a window creaking open. He turned around and was shocked by the sight of Remus climbing through the attic window and out onto the roof of the Potter house.

“Morning.” Remus’ morning voice never failed to take Sirius’ breath away. Simultaneously gravelly and soft, it enveloped him in what could only be described as comfort.

“Hey”, Sirius said, and it was frankly impressive how many voice cracks he managed to fit into that one, short word. Clearing his throat, the smitten boy persisted; “I thought you were afraid of heights?”

Nice one Sirius. Make him think you see him as a wimp. That’ll get him to fall in love with you.

Sirius internally cursed himself for his insensitivity, fully expecting Remus to turn right back around and go back inside out of anger. It was to his surprise, therefore, that Remus smiled and settled down next to him.

“I was. But these last few transformations… I don’t know. Every time the wolf rips me apart, I feel like I’m going to die. And so, after I changed back the last time, I decided that I wouldn’t waste whatever time I have left being scared of things that don’t matter. Because there is no way to know which full moon is going to be my last.” A heavy silence settled over the boys. As the weight of Remus’ confession sank in, Sirius found himself on the edge of tears. He knew it was selfish, but he couldn’t help thinking about how he would survive if Remus did die. If, one day, the blood on the floor of the shrieking shack would become too much, and they would all drown in its repercussions.

Wordlessly, Remus reached over and took hold of Sirius’ cigarette. Their fingers brushed only for a second, but it felt like forever and was over too soon. A shiver ran down Sirius’ spine at the feeling of Remus’ cold finger on his. His finger, surprisingly unmarred compared to the rest of his body, seemed to set every nerve in Sirius’ body in fire. That simple act of proximity was enough to set his heart beating at a rate that, frankly, shouldn’t be allowed.

When Remus withdrew his fingers, the cigarette perched between them, Sirius was left tingling in the small but infinite point of contact, and he vowed never to wash that hand again, lest he lose the shimmering ecstasy that the tingling brought. The situation was not improved by Remus’ decision to bring the cigarette to his lips, placing his mouth exactly where Sirius’ had been only seconds before. He took a long, languid drag from the joint, his beautiful lips perfectly shaping to exhale the smoke. Sirius marveled at how this boy could make even an act as simple as taking a puff from a cigarette seem like the most sensual, lascivious experience of his life. Sirius’ mind was flooded with obscene thoughts of what he wanted to do to those lips, what he wanted them to do to him. He felt dizzy at the thought (although that might have also had something to do with the sudden lack of blood in his head; it seemed to have decided that it was needed elsewhere).

The stillness was shattered by a hacking cough.

“Merlin, what the fuck is in this thing?” Remus exclaimed through another shuddering cough.

“It’s only a cigarette”, Sirius answered, confused.

Remus laughed. “I know that, dipshit. But why? What the fuck are you doing out here at bloody six in the morning smoking this cheap shit? Here.”

Sirius watched in bewilderment as Remus reached into his sweater pocket and withdrew a long, hand rolled joint.

“What is it?”, he asked stupidly.

Once again, he found himself blessed by the presence of Remus’ gorgeous laugh. “It’s weed. Marijuana. It’s a muggle drug.”

Sirius was skeptical. “And it’s better than cigarettes?”

“Way better. Here.”

Before Sirius had a chance to say anything, Remus was bringing the joint up to Sirius’ lips. Startled, Sirius instinctively parted them, and let the rough paper of the tip slide in. Then, Remus’ fingers skimmed his lower lip, and he was paralyzed. His mind was plunged into a world of haze, where his lip and Remus’ fingers existed alone. Where all the unsaid words were unimportant, and all that mattered was that Remus was touching him.

But something inside him realized the sheer impossibility of that dream and brought him back to reality. A reality where Remus would never love him back, because why would he? Why would an ethereal creature like Remus Lupin, with all his intangible beauty, pay any attention to a bratty pureblood who couldn’t even tell the difference between a mandrake and a spinach leaf?

Well, Sirius concluded, if this is the closest I ever get to him, I may as well make the most of it.

Sirius sighed, leaning into Remus’ touch. Memorizing the sensation of cold fingers on his skin. But Remus drew back. Sirius supposed he must have angered him with his display of intimacy, because a red flush was creeping up his neck and highlighting his cheeks.

Drawing back, Sirius cleared his throat, which was not an easy feat, due to the joint now in his mouth. When he was satisfied that an ordinary level of awkwardness had been restored between them, he lit his joint. Almost immediately, he felt a wave of relaxation wash over him. It was amazing, the sensation of every muscle in his body loosening, becoming calm. The tension was gone from his shoulders, and he couldn’t even remember why he had been worried about this in the first place. He had never felt anything better.

He felt a tug on the spliff and opened his mouth so it could slide out, the paper sticking to his lips. It was Remus, of course. He took it into those elegant, beautiful fingers and took a puff, closing his eyes as the glorious smoke entered his system. After a couple of seconds, he exhaled again, the smoke rippling through his voluptuous lips and ascending to join the clouds in their endless dance of mesmerising shapeshifting.

The rest of the morning was spent that way, sharing that slice of euphoria, tucked away on a rooftop in a tiny corner of a tiny island in a huge, huge world.

***

The sun was dipping into the west now, and James and Peter had long since engaged themselves in a fierce game of monopoly. Surprisingly, Peter was doing very well. Although James would later claim that he “let Peter win”, it was clear to see that he was severely frustrated by his lack of success. Although, his agitation might have had something to do with his anticipation of the next day; the girls had agreed to come over in the morning and stay for a couple of nights. Inevitably, James had spent many hours fretting over what to say when Lily arrived, before finally agreeing to partake in a game of monopoly to settle his nerves. Clearly, this hadn’t helped. To their merit, Remus and Sirius had abstained from the activity, aware that an apprehensive James and board games were never a good combination. They had instead elected to watch, which proved to be a far more enjoyable pastime.

“That’s it!”, James exclaimed, throwing his money down on the table. “I don’t get this dumb muggle game. I’m going for a walk.” He pushed back his chair with an unpleasant screech and stormed out the front door, leaving a bewildered Peter in his wake. They didn’t have long to revel in the absence of James’ intense leg-jiggling, however. The door had barely swung close before it was wrenched open again, and James came thundering back in, unchanged, except for the fact that he was now soaking wet.

Fuming, he mumbles something about “s’raining”, and sloshed his way up the stairs. A distant door slammed, and the house was quiet once more.

“Well”, Sirius clapped his hands together. “I’m starving. Dinner?”

Peter perked up at the mention of sustenance but was quickly shot down by Remus’ next statement.

“In case you haven’t noticed, we can’t exactly walk to town in this weather. And the muggle delivery place won’t come out here in the rain.”

But Sirius was unperturbed. “Well I’ll cook something! Peter, why don’t you go make the guest rooms up for the girls, and Remus and I will whip something up for tea.”

Peter quickly scampered upstairs, not one to pass up an opportunity to clean a bedroom (it was one of his many unappreciated blessings; the need for cleanliness).

Left alone now, Sirius turned to Remus. Just being close to him was enough to set his heart racing, but he pushed that down.

Not right now. We’re just cooking. Just two friends, making dinner for their other two, less sophisticated friends.

However, he found himself unsure of how to proceed. So, as a demonstration of his ever-present sophistication, he decided to go with the most refined of communicative methods: finger guns.

Immediately regretting the decision, he dropped his arms to his side and cleared his throat for what was probably nearing the millionth time that day. “Shall we?” Remus nodded.

The Potters’ kitchen was sprawling with innumerable cupboards and drawers, all immaculately designed and painted to create a blend of antique styles and modern methods. There were 3 ovens, and a number of industrial fridges, including a blast-freezer. A mini fridge sat on the bench, containing sodas of all flavours and, further back, expensive alcohols. To Sirius, who had grown up in the dingy prison of Grimmauld Place, it was heaven.

He walked over to the industrial fridge and started pulling out ingredients, ideas flooding his mind. Although he would never admit it, cooking was one of Sirius’ guilty pleasures. The thought of so many elements, things that are seemingly useless of bland, coming together to form a gastronomical masterpiece was something that he enjoyed immensely. Within minutes, he was working away at a bouillabaisse, the pastry for a quiche already in the oven, and an ice-cream mixture chilling in the fridge.

Remus was watching in amazement from his perch on the island bench, a cold raspberry soda in his hand.

“Where did you learn to cook?” he asked, unable to tear his eyes from the mesmerizing bubbling of the bouillabaisse.

Sirius blushed. “Andy taught me, actually. After she moved in with Ted. I would go and visit her every Saturday and help out around the house when Ted was out working.”

Remus was well aware of Sirius’ feelings about Ted Tonks. Although he had not approved of him initially, believing strongly that Andromeda was worthy of someone better, he had seen how passionately he cared for his family, and grown to like the stumpy little man.

“She says she learned from Ted’s mother, who was a chef in France before the Depression. She said that Andy had a knack for it, and so taught her everything she knew. Since no one in the ministry would take her in fear of her parents getting mad, she decided to do everything she can at home, taking care of the house and of little Nymphadora.”

“Oh yeah, how is she going? God, she must be going on a year now!” Remus asked, remembering the pictures Sirius had shown him of his baby cousin when she was born.

“She’s doing good. It really is a breath of fresh air, seeing that even in the midst of the oncoming war, there is still such innocence and good in the world. But at the same time, I’m terrified that she might have to grow up in a world governed by Voldemort.” His voice shook on that last sentence, his throat swelling painfully as tears sprung to his eyes. He tried to blink them back, unwilling to let Remus see that side of him, but they knew each other too well. With two quick strides, Remus was across the room, enveloping him in a hug.

Sirius sank into it, letting himself be consumed by the warmth or Remus. By that comforting smell of nutmeg and tea, coupled with chocolate and books. The brush of leather jacket on woolen sweater, the feeling of heads on shoulders and hands on backs. And he knew that, as long as this boy was in the world, everything would always be okay.

***

After dinner, the boys had opted to take their dessert into the living room and watch a movie. Remus had suggested Titanic, and James had protested for all of 5 seconds before remembering that Rose bore a slight resemblance to one Lily Evans and supporting the idea wholeheartedly. But now the movie had ended, and the boys found themselves, yet again, in limbo between waking and sleeping. At some point during the movie, Remus had moved over to snuggle next to Sirius, and it hadn’t taken long before they were sprawled out on the sofa, Remus’ head on Sirius’ chest. Sirius had tried no to think anything of it, justifying that Remus was tired and probably didn’t even know what he was doing. But a small part of him couldn’t help but wonder, couldn’t help but hope.

Remus opened his eyes and looked out the window into the dark garden. The night sky was speckled with a tapestry of a thousand stars, each one so small, yet burning with a fire so intense it could consume everything they held dear in less than a second. There was no moon in the sky that night.

Then Remus turned his head to look up at Sirius, his golden eyes meeting grey ones.

“It’s stopped raining”, he said.

Sirius looked up, and saw that the skies had, in fact, cleared.

Glancing down again, he went to reply, but was cut short by the sight before him. Remus was asleep, safe in his best friend’s arms. And so, Sirius spoke his answer for the unlistening ears of the night.

“Yeah. Yeah it has.”

***

I hope you liked it!! It is up on ao3 as well, and the next chapter will be coming soon! Please reblog is you liked it, I’m smol and would love more people to see it. thankyou!!

[faithfulcat111]

Rewatching A Very Potter Sequel (honestly, it may be my favourite of the series which is a darn shame when we don't get a Brian R solo, but oh well). Had to split this one into two parts, so my favourite parts from Act 1, under the cut:

I'm gonna go ahead and say up top that Lucius and his dramatic dancing is one of my favourite things

Also Yakley in general

'Damn those wizard cops!'

It's Not Over Yet in general

'He marries Ginny. They live happily ever after. There is literally no way to move forward from this point.'

'Do you follow me?' 'No.'

The Weasley's in general

The Weasley sweaters

Arthur trying to work a muggle camera

Harry and Ron bonding over their mutual love of red vines

'Where have you been all my life?' 'Oh, in a cupboard under some stairs.'

The crocodile story

'You're Harry Freakin' Potter!'

The difference of Ron and Harry entering the train compartment

Harry giving Ron his headband

'Do you want a rat?' 'Ah!' 'It's my rat!' 'Oh, your rat!'

The Berty-Bots Every Flavour Beans

'What did you get?' 'Defeat.'

The candy lady slowly going across the background of the scene

The death eater replacing the candy lady

Remus on the train, literally everything about this scene is great

Snape's introduction

'I won't pretend to know.'

'I thought the traitor Sirius Black was my dad's best friend.' 'No, who told you that?' *later* 'It was probably blasphemy.'

Darren's voice

'WHO DARES DISTURB MY SLUMBER!'

The fact that no one questions Remus's weird behaviour about werewolves

'He said cute, he could only be talking about me.'

'There's no way we're losing to Slytherin or Ravenclaw or Jigglypuff.'

Dean just hitting Seamus in the stomach and him curling up slowly on the ground

Hermione Can't Draw scene

Coolest Girl is such a great song

Also Bonnie's voice

'Oh, Potter, where was I?' 'You were telling me to sit on a knife.'

'No! I am your dad's traitor best friend, no! I am your dad's traitor, no! I am your dad's best friend.'

'Don't go to the Shrieking Shack, I'm a werewolf in there.' 'Wait, what?'

Umbridge's face when she says Dumbledore

Getting Along is also a good song. I don't like this story arc, but damn is this song good

'And two days later, he died.'

'I'll give a big, fat kiss to whoever is brave enough to go in.' 'I'll do it.' 'Herman?' 'Here's the thing Herman, I'm not kissing you.'

'Lumos!' *pulls flashlight out*

Harry and Ron trying to actually say Hermione's name and just utterly failing

*sees a very obvious werewolf* 'IT'S A VAMPIRE!'

Harry actually landing Hermione's name right once and immediately forgetting it

'Or cool like Snape.' *puts arm up, forgetting Snape isn't there*

'And I for one would love to have a friend you could do my Ancient Runes essay.' 'Really?' 'Yeah cause it's due tomorrow.'

'You're so soft.' '*completely wrong person* Thanks!'

The whole scene with Remus covered in blood trying to explain why he was found next to a dead doe to Rita Skeeter

'That's bambi's mom.'

'I did the only thing that would make the situation less awkward for everyone.' 'What?' 'I disapperated.'

'Did you get my text?' 'Yes.' 'Well you didn't text me back.'

Lucius's return and his dramatic dance moves

'Daddy! You came to love me!'

'Who knew the counter-curse was just unjellify!'

'hoW DAAAAAAAAAAARE!!!!'

*opening very clearly book-shaped package* 'I hope it's a puppy. Puppy! Puppy! Puppy!'

'Sirius Black!' 'Sirius Bla- oh checkmate.' 'Sirius Black!'

'If you yell, it only makes Sirius want to kill you faster.'

'I'M IN A RAGE!'

Those Voices - such a beautiful song

'Unjellify!' 'Harry, he's too much for us!'

Everyone immediately forgetting that Harry is in the room the minute he puts the invisibility cloak on

Sirius's first reaction to being revealed being to insult Snape.

'How can you let that criminal into the castle?' 'Especially in that outfit!'

'You can't disapperate inside of Hogwarts! Right?' *some audience member*: 'Right!' 'Right!'

[pufflyhallows]

Picks & Pens (I)

Hi! This is a brand new series for our boy Sirius Black. It’s a rockstar!au in modern days. I really hope you like it, I had the idea over a year ago and had a little something in my drafts but only now got to write it the way it deserves. Enjoy!

Chapter One: Press

Warnings: language

Word count: 1,7k

a/n: I know nothing about press or the music industry, so forgive me for any mistakes lol

Sirius Black. What a perfect name for the typical arrogant and condescending rockstar who had just been declared artist of the decade by the magazine you worked for. Unfortunately for you, he also happened to be your ex-boyfriend.

You two had met in high school, way before he got famous. He already wrote music back then, you being one of the very first people to ever listen to it. Some of those songs were quite big hits today and you genuinely liked them, but that didn’t mean you liked him. At least, not anymore. Your relationship had ceased to exist seven years ago. What is it that people say about fame? Oh yes, it changes you.

As you walked past the countless desks in that white-walled office with tall windows, the latest edition of the magazine in hands, you thought about your boss’ proposition. She wanted you to interview the “artist of the decade” for the February issue – it was coming out on Valentine’s Day and she wanted an article about Sirius Black’s muse and writing process. According to her, it was impossible that there wasn’t a girl behind the lyrics of his songs, even though the man had been single for years now. You had told her you’d think about it and answer the next day. Well, today was the next day.

Brenda, your boss’ assistant, was on the phone when you approached her desk. She raised a finger at you as if to say “hold on” and kept talking to the person at the other end of that call. You knew better than to interrupt her, so you patiently waited.

“No freaking way, Rebecca! I told you he was going to the party regardless of what Charlie said! Now, don’t get me wrong, I think you’re much smarter than Mackenzie, but she’s got a point.”

You inhaled deeply, fighting the urge to roll your eyes. Was it naive of you to assume that people only took business calls during business hours?

“I’m wheezing! Literally dying! Oh God...” Brenda giggled. “Well, I gotta go. I’m at work. What? Bitch, you called.”

You watched as she hung up the phone and gathered some loose sheets of paper from her desk, organizing them in a pile.

“Brenda?” you said, catching her attention. “I’m here to see Mrs. Lennox. Could you announce me?”

“She’s busy.”

“Uhh… She asked me to come by her office at ten and it’s… ten.”

Brenda sighed and picked up the phone again, pressing the interphone button. “Mrs. Lennox? Sorry to bother, but Y/N says she’s here to see you. Yes. Not a problem. Okay.”

She hung up and went back to putting her sheets into piles. You raised an eyebrow at her before she finally looked at you and spoke as if it was obvious. “Go in!”

Was it unprofessional to flip off a coworker?

You opened the door slowly and found Mrs. Lennox sitting by her desk with her eyes focused on her computer screen. She looked at you and smiled, gesturing for you to come see what she was working on.

“These photos just came in. Look at him! Isn’t he just so handsome?!”

And there he was. His signature guitar lazily laying between his legs as he had one hand resting on it and the other supporting his weight. He was sitting on a white… box-shaped stool? The background was also white, contrasting to his all-black outfit.

“I think I want these in black and white, what do you think?”

“There isn’t much color in them anyways,” you though out loud.

“Oh…” Mrs. Lennox eyed the entire picture. “You’re right. Black and white it is,” she wrote it down on her notepad.

You kept looking at the photo displayed across the large computer screen. The little shit was handsome, there was no denying that. The problem was what was behind that smirk – arrogance, selfishness and a big big sense of self-importance.

“So?!” your boss’ voice snapped you out of your memories. “Have you thought about our conversation yesterday?”

“I have,” you walked around the desk and sat in front of the older woman as she took off her red cat-eye glasses. “But I need to ask you something first.”

“Go ahead.”

“Will it bring attention to the fact that I am his ex-girlfriend?”

“What do you mean, sweetie? Everyone already knows.”

“I know, but… will it be focused on that? Yesterday you mentioned that it’d be great to have some sort of reunion and that the public would love it. Your idea is an intimate interview, just the two of us in the room and all.”

“Yes...”

“I understand it. I agree that the conversation flows better that way, because the interviewees usually feel more comfortable with less people around and no cameras. However, this is my job. Just my job. I don’t want it to be publicized as a reunion with my ex-boyfriend. This is me, a journalist, interviewing him, a musician.”

Mrs. Lennox looked at you for a while, as if she was trying to read your thoughts. She placed her hands together on the desk and took a deep breath.

“Listen, Y/N. I’ve got to be honest with you. The subject that will be discussed in this interview is interesting, yes. A lot of people are curious about his lyrics. Myself included. But frankly? Anyone can ask him questions about that and put it on a website or a magazine. Anyone. Would it sell? Of course! He’s the artist of the decade, everyone adores him. Now, imagine if the person interviewing him is actually a former girlfriend. And not any girlfriend, but his high school sweetheart. The girlfriend from the very beginning of his career. The person who was there when some of the biggest songs of this entire decade were being written. It will sell like water in the desert, Y/N! This is really good for press.”

“So this is why you picked me, of all people. Press,” you looked down and bit your inner cheek. “I’m a journalist, Mrs. Lennox.” You looked back at her, “I am part of the press. And I know how they will eat me alive after this interview. They will chase me around, paps will hunt me everywhere. The whole nightmare will start all over again. Even after seven years, I still get the occasional question about him. After this interview, though? There will be no peace. And, as a matter of fact, I’m not quite sure if I like the idea of having my personal life used as marketing. God, I’m not even sure if I do want to ‘reunite’ with him.”

“I see,” Mrs. Lennox leaned back on her chair. “What is your answer, then?”

You looked in her eyes, thinking about the last three years you worked for her magazine. She was by far the best boss you’ve ever had. She took you under her wing and gave you enough space to explore your full potential and truly shine. She bent backwards for you several times in the past, helping you build your name in journalism. There was nothing in this world that she could ask that would make you think twice before attending. Nothing, except this.

However, there was a side of you that wanted to see him again. To speak to him again. Hear him talk again. A very curious side of you, that needed to see how he would act around you after so many years of no contact. Would he treat you like every other interviewer? Would he be as self-absorbed and pompous? Would he answer to your questions truthfully? That side of you would die to find out.

And that side won. Along with all the respect you had for your boss and the extra payment she offered the day before, of course.

“My answer is yes. I will interview him.”

Mrs. Lennox smiled widely, but before she could say anything, you added. “Under one condition.”

“Oh, Y/N. What is it?”

“It won’t get publicized as a reunion. Please, Mrs. Lennox, don’t publish it with something like ‘Sirius Black interviewed by former girlfriend’. Just put my name in there and let the press do their thing around it. That’s all I ask. Please.”

Mrs. Lennox eyed you for a while, just like before. She always seemed to crave the power to read minds, maybe even control them. She bit her lower lip and adjusted her wedding ring, looking down at her notepad now.

“Well, it does look good to treat it like it’s so casual. Like you’re still friends and it’s no big deal. You did end things amicably, after all.”

Right…

“Okay, Y/N,” she nodded. “It will be just your name, no mentions of the relationship.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Lennox.”

“Right. Look, Y/N, this interview is very important for us. Please, keep that in mind. I expect a really good show of professionalism on your part. The subject might be delicate to deal with, given your past, but I trust that you won’t leave out any details pertinent to the writing of this article.”

“You have nothing to worry about. The subject won’t be delicate at all.”

You hoped you didn’t sound insulted, because you did feel your ears burn slightly with the insinuation that you might care if he wrote songs about some other girl. You absolutely did not. It’s been seven fucking years.

“Great. That settles it, then. I will look into scheduling this interview now,” she clicked on her mouse and put her red cat-eye glasses back on. “I am predicting it will take place within two weeks from now, so no trips out of town during this time!”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You can go back to work now, sweetie. If anything comes up, I’ll e-mail you.”

“Okay,” you stood up and grabbed your latest edition of the magazine, remembering why you had brought it in the first place. “Oh! By the way, there’s a typo on page forty-five of the January issue. Printing started this morning, so I think there’s still time to fix it before we lose too much material.”

“Y/N! What would I do without you?! Page forty-five, you say?” she immediately wrote it down on her notepad. “I knew I couldn’t trust Henry on this.”

“He’s a good kid,” you shrugged. “He’ll get the hang of it.”

“Right, right… Ask Brenda to call him on your way out, will you?”

“Of course,” you nodded, already feeling bad for Henry’s ears.

The next couple of weeks were going to be interesting, though.

********

[seirioscanis]

{ low on self-esteem, so you run on gasoline }

.

𝖖 𝖚 𝖔 𝖙 𝖊 𝖘

“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” -- Albert Camus

“We are unusual, tragic, and alive.” -- Dave Eggers

“I have a very childlike rage, and a very childlike loneliness.” -- Richey Edwards

“’Are you implying that shreds of my reputation remain intact?’ Will demanded with mock horror. ‘Clearly I have been doing something wrong. Or not something wrong, as the case may be.’ He banged on the side of the carriage. ‘Thomas! We must away at once to the nearest brothel. I seek scandal and low companionship.’” -- Will Herondale, Clockwork Angel

“Many atrocities have been done in the name of the greater good.” -- Rhysand, A Court of Mist and Fury

𝖇 𝖆 𝖘 𝖎 𝖈

NAME: Sirius Orion Black NICKNAMES: Padfoot, Pads AGE: 20 BIRTHDAY: 3 November 1959 GENDER: Demiboy, not that he has the word for that PRONOUNS: he/they

𝖋 𝖆 𝖒 𝖎 𝖑 𝖞

MOTHER: Walburga Black ( 55 ) FATHER: Orion Black ( 51, deceased ) SIBLINGS: Regulus Arcturus Black ( 18, deceased )

𝖕 𝖍 𝖞 𝖘 𝖎 𝖈 𝖆 𝖑 𝖆𝖙𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖇𝖚𝖙𝖊𝖘

FACE CLAIM: Samuel Larsen BUILD: Slim and muscular HAIR: Shoulder length and thick, normally kept in a bun HAIR COLOR: Black EYE COLOR: Brown SKIN COLOR: Pale DOMINANT HAND: Right handed, teaching himself slowly to write with his left as well for the hell of it (note: the handwriting is still awful). ANOMALIES: a scar on his upper right lip, ironically a small cluster of star-shaped birthmarks on his left hip (which he hates), a few old cigarette burns on his knees SCENT: leather, old spice, barber shop hair gel, cigarette smoke, motor oil ACCENT: British ALLERGIES: slightly lactose intolerant DISORDERS: Major depression, generalized anxiety, PTSD due to childhood trauma FASHION: Punk rock baby, though probably a bit out of date compared to what muggles are wearing now. He took what he could get during school, and now there’s not enough time in the day to work, be in the Order, and go shopping. NERVOUS TICS: His body becomes more tense, and his eyes dart around the room to search for an exit (or several if possible). He also subconsciously takes a step back from whatever is making him nervous, occasionally messes with his hair to try and act casual (though he does that when he’s bored as well, so it has to be seen with one of the others to be considered a sign of his nerves). If he’s particularly high strung, he’ll lose his nerve completely and lash out, no matter if it’s good or bad for the situation at hand. QUIRKS: Like mentioned above, he messes with his hair a lot when he’s bored, usually pulling it out of its hair tie if up and vice versa if down. He paces when plotting, and purses his lips when he’s thinking considerably. When he’s particularly happy he’ll do a little jump, and he appears to be vibrating a little even afterward. When uncomfortable he’ll try to push that feeling off with either an argument or joke, again no matter whether one of those choices is the wisest at the time.

𝖑 𝖎 𝖋 𝖊 𝖘 𝖙 𝖞 𝖑 𝖊

RESIDES: Plainview Points Apartments BORN: St. Mungo’s Hospital RAISED: Grimmauld Place, London PETS: n/a

CAREER: Auror-in-Training EXPERIENCE: He was part of the Hogwarts dueling club for two years before being kicked out for unfair sportsmanship. He also got a considerate amount of training in magic from an early age thanks to his family, and his mother in particular taught him a bit of dark magic--or tried to. Not that he would use the dark magic, but if push came to shove... he has a few tricks up his sleeve (or, at the very least, the theory behind some of the darker magics). EMPLOYER: Ministry of Magic

POLITICAL AFFILIATION: Order of the Phoenix BELIEFS: Sirius, without a shadow of a doubt, believes that muggleborns and halfbloods deserve to be equal to purebloods. It took him years to believe he was allowed to have that thought process, but he grabbed onto it once he did. Despite the years of unlearning what his family tried to instill in him, it wasn’t all successful. He does still have a superiority complex, and most definitely thinks himself above squibs, muggles, house elves, and so on. It takes more effort for him to respect their opinions as equal to his own, and though he knows that’s wrong, it’s taking a lot longer than he’d like to unlearn that--if he ever can. MISDEMEANORS: Illegal animagus, chase down with James on Elvendork, driving underage on an unregistered motorcycle, his entire list of detentions at Hogwarts FELONIES: Nothing officially on record, so really he’s as innocent as it gets DRUGS: n/a SMOKES: Way too much to be healthy for his lungs ALCOHOL: Not nearly as bad as his smoking habit DIET: Generally unhealthy because he can’t be bothered to cook

LANGUAGES: English, Latin, Spanish, Italian, French, some German

PHOBIAS: Extremely loud noises, snakes, thunderstorms HOBBIES: Causing general mischief, reading what he can get his hands on, doodling (albeit a bit crudely) TRAITS: { + }: loyal, intelligent, observant, quick-witted, sociable { - }: angry, impulsive, insensitive, defiant, pessimistic 

𝖋 𝖆 𝖛 𝖔 𝖗 𝖎 𝖙 𝖊 𝖘

LOCATION: Potter Estate, Prewett Household, Hogwarts SPORTS TEAM: Tutshill Tornadoes GAME: Wizard’s Chess MUSIC: Punk Rock, Celestina Warbeck (not that he’d tell a soul) MOVIES: Has hardly seen any, but is fond of action movies FOOD: Thai BEVERAGE: Whiskey or iced tea COLOR: Dark green

𝖒 𝖆 𝖌 𝖎 𝖈

ALUMNI HOUSE: Gryffindor WAND (length, flexibility, wood, & core): 8 3/4 inches, slightly bendy, yew, rougarou hair core AMORTENTIA: honeysuckles, vanilla, cigarette smoke PATRONUS: Dog BOGGART: His parents standing over him shouting; recently with Regulus by their side asking why he had to die

𝖈 𝖍 𝖆 𝖗 𝖆 𝖈 𝖙 𝖊 𝖗

MORAL ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Good MBTI: ESTP-T MBTI ROLE: The Entrepreneur

“ ESTPs are energetic thrillseekers who are at their best when putting out fires, whether literal or metaphorical. They bring a sense of dynamic energy to their interactions with others and the world around them. They assess situations quickly and move adeptly to respond to immediate problems with practical solutions. Active and playful, ESTPs are often the life of the party and have a good sense of humor. They use their keen powers of observation to assess their audience and adapt quickly to keep interactions exciting. Although they typically appear very social, they are rarely sensitive; the ESTP prefers to keep things fast-paced and silly rather than emotional or serious. “

ENNEAGRAM: Type 8 ENNEAGRAM ROLE: The Challenger

” People of this personality type are essentially unwilling to be controlled, either by others or by their circumstances; they fully intend to be masters of their fate. Eights are strong willed, decisive, practical, tough minded and energetic. They also tend to be domineering; their unwillingness to be controlled by others frequently manifests in the need to control others instead. When healthy, this tendency is kept under check, but the tendency is always there, nevertheless, and can assume a central role in the Eight's interpersonal relationships. ”

TEMPERAMENT: Choleric

“  The choleric temperament is fundamentally ambitious and leader-like. They have a lot of aggression, energy, and/or passion, and try to instill it in others. They can dominate people of other temperaments, especially phlegmatic types. Many great charismatic military and political figures were choleric. They like to be in charge of everything. However, cholerics also tend to be either highly disorganized or highly organized. They do not have in-between setups, only one extreme to another. As well as being leader-like and assertive, cholerics also fall into deep and sudden depression. Essentially, they are very much prone to mood swings. “

WESTERN ZODIAC: Scorpio

“ Passionate, independent, and unafraid to blaze their own trail no matter what others think, Scorpios make a statement wherever they go. They love debates, aren't afraid of controversy, and won't back down from a debate. They also hate people who aren't genuine, and are all about being authentic—even if authentic isn't pretty. Because of all of these traits, a Scorpio can seem intimidating and somewhat closed off to those who don't know them well. But what people don't realize is that even though Scorpio may seem brusque, as a water sign, they also are very in tune with their emotions, and sometimes may find themselves caught up in their feelings. This leads to Scorpio's central conflict: Their feelings are what drives them and strengthens them, but their mutability can scare them and make them feel vulnerable and out of control. Because of this conflict, Scorpios, like their namesake, the scorpion, put up an outer shell and may seem prickly. But once people get beyond the shell, they find a loyal, loving person whose passion knows no bounds. Scorpio dives into all life has to offer with 110% enthusiasm. A Scorpio will be your most loyal friend, most dedicated employee—and your worst enemy, if they want to be. “

CHINESE ZODIAC: Year of the Pig 

“  Pig is mild and a lucky animal representing carefree fun, good fortune and wealth. Personality traits of the people born under the sign of the Pig are happy, easygoing, honest, trusting, educated, sincere and brave. The possible dark sides the Pig people are stubbornness, naive, over-reliant, self-indulgent, easy to anger and materialistic. They are sometimes regarded as being lazy. “

PRIMAL SIGN: Squid

“  Squids are powerful personalities that can only be ‘checked and balanced’ by themselves. They are highly capable, intelligent individuals who seem to know everything. Generally good natured, they also have a hidden inner dark side which resides deep within themselves. No one is allowed into this secret place, often not even themselves. Squids will even try to bury painful truths within themselves in order to avoid dealing with difficult emotions and situations. “

TAROT CARD: Justice, High Priestess

“ Justice and The High Priestess have in common that everything is accounted for. Justice examines everything for flaws in order to find its flawless essence. The High Priestess knows the secret of everything as it is in order to encompass everything. Justice demands of everything its true nature and essence, with nothing concealed, withheld or distorted. It tirelessly weighs and measures, satisfied with nothing less than the clear, the absolute, and the irreduceable in everything. Justice is adamant and uncompromising with its sword and scales, loud and clear in its redness, fearless and certain on its throne, guarding the entrance to the temple of the secrets of perfection. The High Priestess finds what is the same in everything, the secret unifying core hidden in the endless variation of detail. She patiently discovers in all differences what is true, original and undisturbed in everything. The High Priestess is accepting and inclusive with her scroll and cross, calm and quiet in her blueness, fearless and certain on her throne, guarding the entrance to the temple of final knowledge. Unintegrated and imperfectly realized, Justice can be given to rage and haste; it can become arrogant and hypercritical, aggrieved and vengeful, or uncertain and vacillating. The High Priestess can be a conceited know-it-all, moody and taciturn, secret and unapproachable; she can be despairing and lost, or given to excess and careless of consequences. Together, they dream of the perfect, the ultimate, and pursue it in more than one kind of undertaking. They continuously seek the truth, and in its service they are drawn to esoteric studies and unusual paths. “

TV TROPES: White Sheep, Jerk with a Heart of Gold, In the Blood, Hot-blooded, Good is Not Nice, Cultural Rebel, Badass Biker SONGS: Gasoline, Halsey; The Future Freaks Me Out, Motion City Soundtrack; This is the End (For You My Friend), Anti-Flag; Hate Conquers All, Anti-Flag; Downtempo, Scouting for Girls;

IDEOLOGIES: - Actively cuts out everyone who was part of his childhood unless they’ve somehow proven they can be trusted again; he avoids his family at all costs. - The day he found out he was lactose intolerant, however mild, was a mournful day. He sulked about Hogwarts for about a week. - Legitimately tried to swim to the bottom of the Black Lake and see the giant squid. Never succeeded. - If you bring peanut butter anywhere near him he will chuck it across the room. He hates it. - Genuinely enjoys being a dog more than a human sometimes. Yes, he’s aware of the irony.  - The only people allowed to make puns off of his name are James, Peter, Remus, Lily, and Marlene. He’ll get annoyed at anyone else who tries (also wise to avoid using the word serious around him for the above reason). - Keeps telling himself he’ll quit smoking someday. The likelihood of that actually happening is about slim to none, RIP to Sirius’ lungs.

[writingwitchly]

A matter of… toe?

Can I ask for a oneshot with Sirius with the convo: B: You got a new lip balm? A: Yeah. It smells like strawberries too! Want to smell? B: Sure! *walks closer to kiss her/him* A: *just as B is few inches away* *pulls out the balm in front, making it cover B's nose* Please!! Love you😘 ~ @miss-nerd0905

Pairing: Sirius Black x reader

Word count: 4,1k 

AU: Where the biggest concern sare late Xmas shopping and love. So no war, but still wizards. 

A/N: I will not rant about my writing bc it’s Xmas… Vase Darling, I hope you like it!! I wanted this to be vv Christmassy for you!! tbh, I didn’t fully stick to the prompt (this might be veryyy different from what you expected), but the lip balm’s there lol. Have a jolly holiday!

***

Like every December 23rd, you type Lily’s number on the phone, and hum a jolly tune as the dial tone echoes in your ear.

Ever since you’ve moved on your own in London, going late Christmas shopping with your best friend has become a tradition. Together, you go from shop to shop, searching even the most unknown and hidden ones, to get the most perfect gifts for your friends. And, modestly, you nail every single one, to the point where everyone in your circle of Christmas guests call you the “jingle bell rocking team.”

You let your eyes wander on the gray sky outside through the window, and make a mental note of bringing your scarf along, right as a click announces that someone has picked up the call.

“Hello?”

You were going to scream at your friend in excitement to hurry up, but something in the voice that answered makes it… not hers. It’s deep and raucous.

“Lily?”

A crack, then a pause. Some air faintly blows in the mike, and you perceive that the phone must be moving.

“Y/N?” Now, you do recognize Lily’s voice. Although it still sounds off. And nasal.

“Lily!”

“Y/N…” A cough echoes in the background, so the owner of the other voice must still be in proximity.

“Um… Are you okay?” You risk the stupid question, dreading the obvious answer.

“Well,” She tries to laugh, but her lungs seem to resist the act. “Not really. I… James managed to pass me his flu, this year. But don’t worry, I’ll wear some additional coat and we’ll still go, I’ll be there in-”

Her boyfriend protests in the back, but is stopped by another wave of coughing.

An “oh” escapes your throat, longer than you wanted it. “It wouldn’t be wise to go shopping, if you’re in that state, Lils.” For a moment, she seems to hesitate, so you add, “We want to have you guys whole and in perfect shape for the Christmas Eve party.”

You hope your regret isn’t too evident in your tone.

“James wants to make it alive until then, he’s planned a little fly dressed all in red and whi-”

The raucous voice resounds in the background, clearly irritated, and Lily laughs again, “Seems like I’ve ruined the surprise. Don’t tell anyone,” She giggles again. “Um- Sorry to leave you alone on that.”

“Uh?” Imagining James flying, dressed as Santa Claus, has made you forget anything else for a couple of seconds. “Oh, you mean the shopping. Don’t worry,” You’re not sure the last two words sounded very convincing, but you still continue, “I’ll ask someone else to come. Maybe Dorcas.”

“Er- Her and Mary have choir rehearsal for the fundraising,” Lily reminds you.

The sky outside seems to become a little darker.

“Shoot. Remus then.”

“You know that today-”

“He works until late. And Marlene’s at her family’s until tomorrow.” You bite your lip, “Peter?”

“Is it grocery shopping you plan to do?”

Peter and his love for Christmas sweets… He’d stop you at every corner to get a new type of candy.

“Kingsley?”

But you erase that possibility on your own: he isn’t one to walk the whole day around looking for funny socks or the perfect make up set.

You sight in exasperation. This is why it’s always Lily and you who take care of the holiday shopping.

Half as a joke, half out of desperation, you suggest, “Dumbledore?”

There is a loud snort -- which sounded more like a snore -- surely from James, and then Lily mutters something that you can’t hear.

“Lily?”

Shuffling in the background.

“I- James says- He says that you should probably ask Sirius to come.”

“Sirius?” you repeat, not convinced to have heard right. You hope you haven’t.

You’re not 100% sure, but you heard James repeat his mate’s name at the same time as you, and in the exact same surprised tone.

After a second, the man’s laughter is muffled by Lily’s hand on the mike. She tells him something, and he answers back between two sneezes, but you can’t understand anything except for ‘-toe.’

“Toe?”

Lily’s voice comes back, “What?”

“Nothing,” you mutter, this time convinced that you have heard wrong. “So, you guys say, Sirius?”

No, no, no.

“Well, yeah. Usually, he can’t go because he takes care of James’ seasonal flu, but now I can do that…”

“Mmmm…”

“Call him, Y/N, he’s your last hope. I’ll manage to take care of my boyfriend and resist the urge to hex him.”

“Are you sure that Sirius is the right guy to give advice on Muggle shopping?”

And that I won’t make a fool of myself around him?

“I- Uh…” Lily stutters, and pauses a second to hear what James has to say. “Well, if you say so, Potter.” She focuses back on you, “James is positive about it, Y/N,” Which one? The shopping thing, or the fool thing? You’d like to be sure about the latter. “And- I left some soup on the stove,  so- we don’t want the house burning down, do we. Gotta go!”

Is it you, or does her voice sound much healthier than before? “Wait, Lily-!”

“We’ll see you guys tomorrow!”

Before she hangs up, James’ voice reaches you, but very confusedly.

Again, did he say toe?

***

Getting Sirius to come shopping with you was easier than you thought. A call, and he apparated on the front step before you had a chance to put your boots on. Even keeping your composure in his presence is revealing itself quite easy, despite the fact that you’re alone with him for the first occasion in a very long time.

The tough stuff is making him follow you through Muggle London without losing him in the crowd.

“What about that?” you ask, eyeing a novel with a bright blue cover. It reads ‘In Love With an Idiot’, and Lily would absolutely wheeze only at the title. “Do you think that James would be offe- Sirius?” You shoot a glance behind your shoulder, only to discover that the man has disappeared again. “Oh, for Merlin’s sake.”

Struggling to hold the multiple packs under your arms, you move to the side of the pedestrian street, and climb on a bench, under the glare of an old lady. Feeling dizzy because of the bright passing scarves and hats, you lose one good minute in finding the mane of black locks that towers above the surrounding passerbys.

Completely obvious of the world around him, the boy’s observing the vitrine of a toy shop, whose sign’s colorful light reflects on his recently shaved cheeks.

“Sirius!” Your cry of frustration scares the glaring old lady away, but at least it’s successful in making your friend come back to reality.

Smirking, Sirius makes his way back to you, pushing people aside with the dozens of bags he carries, and attracting himself many dark looks.

“Afraid I’d leave you, Y/N?”

“No,” you sigh, wondering at what age Sirius has stopped growing up mentally, “Afraid to lose half of the gifts. What were you looking at?”

“Crazy how the Muggles manage to make things move without magic. There was a small train riding on its own!” His grin widens, and you have to tilt your head up to have a good sight of his childish expression.

Godric, he’s so tall. And so handsome.

Shut up, Y/N.

“But it looked quite unrealistic,” he continues, unaware of your internal dialogue, “There was no smoke.”

“It’s normal,” you say, “It works with batteries, a clever way of producing energy without-”

But Sirius craning his neck in direction of another shop stops you mid-sentence. It won’t be long until he goes off your sight again.

Merlin, he’s worse than Peter.

“No, Black, no such thing again. We’re almost done, I don’t plan on spending the night here.”

To prevent him from going away again, and prevent the lost of the dozen of bags he carries, you link an arm with his. And immediately feel your cheeks lighting up.

Thankfully, he looks away. And you badly hope it’s not because he saw you blushing.

“Nice weather,” he mutters, right as you say, “It’s freezing cold.”

Had it happened earlier, you would have laughed and argued, but now a strange tension seems to have fallen on the two of you.

“So er- those… baggeries,” he says hesitantly. “Do Muggles use them only for tiny trains or-”

You smile shyly, relieved by his clumsy attempt at building a conversation, but suddenly find yourself unable to explain anything about bagge- batteries. So you just correct his pronunciation and laugh the question away.

Something in the way Sirius looks and behaves has changed since your Hogwarts years. He is much more mature, and much less of a troublemaker. He hasn’t lost his mischievous sparkle, of course -- not even after death will he --, but he uses it more consciously.

The last time you two have been alone together before today was… three years and a half ago?

During the graduation party, you had found yourself sitting alongside the dance floor, immersed in nostalgic flashes of your school years, when Sirius had come to ask you for a dance. He saw it as only another moment of fun, but something clicked in your head when he grabbed you by the waist.

You saw memories of how you had started liking him in first year, how his sarcastic remarks were actually something you looked forward to get angry at everyday, how his lousy humor and deep sense of loyalty were his most attracting traits, how his hair falling on his eyes made you daydream.

You also saw the fact that you were about to step in the adults’ world, and maybe part ways.

So, drunk in melancholy and honeywine, you were about to tell him what you had hid for seven years in a row.

But, right at that moment, a group of girls passed by, eyeing him shamelessly and giggling like three-years-olds. It was already hard to swallow the fact that you were infatuated with the most popular guy in a range of ten kilometers, but when he asked you, in the middle of the song, if you’d mind if he invited one of them to dance, you lost your breath.

“Of course not,” you answered, surprising yourself at how easy the lie had come out of your mouth.

He had paused, looked at you for a second, and left you alone in the middle of the room to join the group of girls.

At that moment, lost in your feelings, you had seen through his: you were nothing more than a friend to him.

Some heavy darkness had engulfed you, and that had been the last time you’d accepted to be alone with him. Until today.

You have spent three years muffling your heart’s complaints under tons of good will, in the name of your friendship, and in respect for his opinion.

Caught in the worry of not being able to buy your friends their gifts, you did not think twice about it, earlier, but now…

It seems dangerous to walk next to him.

Around you, the street is getting busier of other people who, like you, have opted for a last-minute gift-search. Fake Santas shake their bells, making teens giggle, and women with babies look in adoration at them. A couple of parents hold their children by the hand, dragging them toward a house shop, while the kids clearly feel like stopping in front of a cozy bar. There is a Frank Sinatra song playing somewhere near the place at the end of the way, and the crispy notes of his deep voice fill every corner of the jolly atmosphere.

A draught of winter air caresses your face, making you shiver.

“About time to go, don’t you think?” you suggests, tightening the scarf around your neck.

“Well- De we have everything we need?” Sirius hesitates, so you start recounting the bags,

“We’ve got Marlene’s sweater, Alice’s scented candles, Kingsley’s sock set-”

“A complete,” Sirius interrupts you “collection of Queen’s best hits for James - that sucker better repay me later, this costed like one of my eyes - a maxi sized pot of skittles for Dumbledore, a horrible pair of socks for Frank, and some catnip for Minnie. Remus’-”

“Catnip?” you raise an eyebrow. “Oh please, don’t tell me you’ve-”

“No, I haven’t left the tea behind, we have that too. I just thought it’d be nice to add some catnip,” he finishes, with a big grin stamped across his face, and you roll your eyes.

“I checked everything on the  list that Lily and I have made, so we have everything. I think we can stop.”

“Are you sure?” Sirius asks, and you think you discern some deception in his words. Is it really possible that-

But your running imagination must be tricking you.

“Quite sure, I-” You slap a hand on your forehead, attracting a curious look from a seven-years-old passing by.  “I was forgetting, as always!” you claim, “We’re not done yet.”

Sirius eyes you, and you see a reflection of the little boy’s expression on his face. And maybe a brighter twinkle in his stare.

“We were forgetting about our own gifts,” you explain, to which he breaks into a snort.

“What’s the plan, then? We choose our gift, and we’ll act as if it’s a surprise on Eve’s dinner?” he asks.

You shake your head. “You choose something for me, I’ll pick something for you. No right to show the other, so-” You realize what you’re going to say, and regret it a bit. “So- It’s better if we part ways now, anyway. I have- I have to meet Mary and Dorcas for a trip to the library,” you say, raising your stare from the floor to look at him straight in the eyes.

Sirius’ lips purse in a thin line, and he nods in understanding.

You slow your pace down, and come to a halt. After a second of uncomfortable pause, you unlink your arm from his, and, for a moment, you face each other, unsure of how to say goodbye.

“See you tomorrow, then,” Sirius half-heartedly says.

“Yeah,” you respond.

The crazy thought of a hug crosses your mind, but you turn on your heels before giving in to the temptation. 

You’re already a good fifteen meters away, when his voice flies to you, “It was a nice shopping session, Y/N! Thank you!”

You swing around, and smile before the crowd swallows him.

***

“You tricked me.”

Zipping her golden top, Lily doesn’t deign you of a look. “I don’t see what you’re talking about, darling.”

“Spare me your terrible lying capacity, Lily. Just- Let’s set aside the fact that you’ve broken our tradition, and that I felt treasoned, but-” You run a hand on your face, looking for proper words to make you sound less lame than what you are. “You know that it’s hard for me to be in the same room as him, and you made it more awkward by setting this up.”

“I didn’t s-”

“Oh come on!” you cry, frustrated. “He was ready when I called! And you do sound like you healed very quickly.”

The decorations on the walls and the snow falling outside make Lily and James’ living room look like a gigantic snowball.

“I- Ok, I’m not as sick as I was yesterday morning, but… I th-”

“You have no right to play the matchmaker, Lily... You know very well how much I struggled to make the pain go away!”

“The both of your are so much more mature recently.”

“So? I can’t make him fancy me, if he doesn’t want to! No matter if he gets as mature as Remus.”

“You’re so stubborn, Y/N! If you don’t try, you’ll never get anything!”

From the doorframe, James chuckles, “Take me as an example: I managed to date my fierce redhead after seven years of-”

“James!” you both scream, and the man raises his hands in defence, going back to drinking his medicinal tea. He can barely stand up, wrapped in the tons of coverts that are supposed to protect his fragile health from yet another cold, but he wouldn’t miss your discussion if he got paid for it: you get better than his favorite telenovellas, when you’re in that mood.

“If you ever tell him any of this-” you look at him, menacing.

With his mouth full of the infusion, James mimics somebody promising, and then walks out of the room, in look of a more peaceful environment. He does that every time he senses the storm going toward him.

“All I want is you to be happy, Y/N. I swear you need to be blind not to notice that Sirius likes you.”

“I’m- Please, don’t make it harder, Lily. I appreciate your encouragements, but I worked hard on making these feelings disappear, and-”

“We both know you still like him, Y/N. How many times will I have to tell you.” She rolls her eyes. “I am going to get you two together before this New Year, or I’ll rename myself Gertrudis. And you can’t change my mind.”

With nothing to answer to that, you sigh, only waiting for the moment when you’ll get to call your best friend Gertrudis.

***

“Nothing better than a sweet gathering with friends for Christmas,” Remus says as he pops the bottle of honeywine open. Behind him, the fire cracks in the chimney.

From across the living room, Frank, his arm around Alice’s shoulders, laughs, “You say that every year, Rems.”

Kingsley comes in the scarred boy’s defence, “It’s worth repeating, Longbottom. Anyway, I’d rather hear Remus say it a thousand more times than to have to listen to James’ drunk jokes at the end of the meal.”

The mentioned boy fakes a pout, and Sirius, who’s lying on the floor at his feet, plays with a red cap, that will be useless this year: Flying Santa Potter Show has been moved to next year, because of ‘health issues’, to Peter’s great regret.

“I wonder how you’re still sneezing enough to make that whole building fall down, James, while Lily’s wearing a mini skirt.” The bitterness in your voice can only be understood by James, and by his girlfriend. “From how she sounded on the phone yesterday, she was about to die.”

At those words, Lily gets out of the kitchen, followed by Dorcas, and shoots you a smile, “Onion soup does miracles on me,” she winks, and turns toward the man spread on the carpet, “Sirius, please be a sweetheart, and give Y/N a hand to bring the rest of the starters on the table.”

And here we go again.

Noticing your annoyed groan, Marlene slightly smiles.

“I hope the floor’s clean,” she murmurs to Lily, “Because I have that feeling that we’ll have to pick the starters up from the tiles. What did you do to piss her off?”

“Just wait,” the redhead whispers back, “And you’ll see.”

***

In the background, Celestina Warbeck threatens to drown you all in a cauldron full of hot love.

Sirius is handing you some plastic plates, on which you lay tiny canapes. The only reason that prevents you from dropping them on the floor in vengeance is their very appetizing look. And the fact that you’ve spent hours dressing them.

The soft buzzing of conversation coming from the living room warms your heart: having friends like yours is the highlight of your life. Ruining the mood by confronting romantical feelings to just friendship would be… awfully wrong.

“Any plans for New Year’s Eve, Y/N?”

“Uh?”

Sirius smiles at you from the other side of the table, a plate full of mini croissants in each hand. “Do you have plans for New Year’s Eve?”

You tilt your head. “Just- our usual gathering. Why?”

The man shrugs. “Maybe you wanted to do something different, I don’t know.” And he grins again. “You tell me, if you want some change, okay?”

“Sure.”

Perplex because of his strange request, you come back in the core room of the party a little distracted, sensing that something is weird.

You scan your friends’ faces, but don’t notice anything out of place, so give up  your strange presentment.

***

Soon, it’s time to unwrap.

As everyone discovers their gifts -- and shares drunk jokes, much to Kingsley’s dismay -- you step in a corner, holding a pink package in the palm of your hand. The ribbon itself is bigger than the box.

“What is it?” Sirius’ sudden presence behind your back makes you start.

“What do you mean, what is it?” From the corner of your eye, you notice Lily staring at you, and then whispering something in James’ ear. “Didn’t you buy it?”

The man scratches his neck. “I’m not the best at choosing Muggle gifts, let along for a girl. So I asked the salesgirl to give me the cutest item she had and-” He points to the half-unwrapped box in your hands. “I’m about to discover what it is at the same time as you.”

His breath on your neck makes your fingers tremble, but you rip the remnants of colorful paper off the present, and reveal a-

“Lip balm?” you ask, surprised.

Sirius only nods, with half a smile. “Looks like it.”

Carefully, you extract the round container from the wrapping, grinning at how cute it is, indeed. You delicately brush a finger on the surface, and press it to your lips.

“Mmm… It smells like strawberries!”

“Really?” Sirius casually steps closer to you.

“Uh- Want to smell?” you ask, trying to remain composed.

“Sure!”

You were about to pass him the container. You were about to. 

But, under your unbelieving stare, Sirius leans forward, until he’s only inches apart from your mouth, and closes his eyes.

A little lamp lights up in your head: that something that was wrong when you exited the kitchen, James’ repeated mention of a ‘toe’ during yesterday’s call… Right above your head, you see it.

It happens all so fast, that you can barely register your own movements.

***

“You what?”

Lily, shivering in her skirt, is gaping at you. She ran after you as soon as you left the apartment in a hurry, and managed to catch you right as you were exiting the building.

“I panicked” You cry, still shocked yourself, and starting to feel like the dumbest person ever, ever, ever.

Your best friend blinks very slowly. “You- Are you doing this to make me lose the bet? Because that’s the only explanation I will accept, Y/N!”

The scene repeats itself endlessly in your mind as the snowflakes sprinkle your hair. Sirius, centimeters away from your lips. The balm suddenly put in front of him, covering his nose. His surprised look. Your run away.

“I don’t know, I-”

“You don’t know?” Her eyes clearly say ‘I’m about to kill you if you don’t give me a good reason for leaving the perfect romantical scene out of the blue’.

“Listen! If I wasn’t sure that he now thinks I’m the most idiotic fool in this world, I’d run back upstairs and kiss him right where I left him!” you scream.

You hope that none of the neighbors had planned to go to bed early.

“Glad you would-” A voice comes from an open window, three floors above. A pair of large glasses is looking down at you, surrounded by all your friend’s faces.

“James! Fucking get inside, don’t make your flu even worse!” shouts Lily.

“- because,” her boyfriend ignores her, “I doubt he’d be happy to have ran down the stairs for nothing!”

Right as he finishes his sentence, the building’s door opens, and lets out a very confused Sirius. Quickly, Lily disappears inside.

The world stops spinning, and you lose the capacity to breathe. Your knees threaten to give up under the weight of the tension that installs itself on your shoulders.

Merlin, if I could die right on the spot.

“I’m sorry if I-” Sirius takes a step forward, but stops right away, and lowers his head. “It was stupid of me, I’m very sorry.”

Seemingly unable to distinguish between what happens in your head, and what you’re actually doing in this moment, you walk toward him.

“What do you mean, you’re sorry?” The temperature of your cheeks climbs up vertiginously, and it costs you an incredible effort to articulate. “I’m the one who ran away.”

And you’re standing in front of him, close enough to see the grey of his eyes reflecting the streetlamp light.

“I like you a lot, you know.” His soft whisper knocks the air out of you. “I think I’ve liked you since Hogwarts, but I was too busy being a jerk to notice it.”

Before the moment has a chance to vanish, like a dream, you reach for his lips with yours, standing on your tiptoes.

As Sirius wraps his arms around your waist and deepens the kiss, you can hear the dance of the snowflakes, chorusing with the beating of your hearts. Your breaths become the same mist, and your bodies tell the same story. The story of two young people in love.

Above your heads, a green branch has been fixed with some tape from a windowsill of the third floor, and is gently being hugged by the breeze.

“Look at those two,” Winter seems to whisper, “Finally kissing under the mistletoe.”

***

Permanent tag list: @miss-nerd0905 @funnymrspotter @daytodayfun @electraheart-isdead @laurenslines @rochelle-the-ravenclaw @wildfire-whizbangs @beaubcxton @reggieblck

Sirius tag list: @glitteryfreakslimeegg @janhvi11

[theprodigypenguin]

Harry Potter AU where instead if standing there laughing like a lunatic, Sirius transforms into a dog at the last second and gets away from the Ministry. Thus beginning his years as That Stray™ of Privet Drive. Prepare for an insanely long post just fyi:

He shows up about a week after Harry is dropped on the Dursley's doorstep.

Sirius is smart enough to understand he's a wanted man and can't reveal himself, and they would never let him take Harry, so he does his best from a distance.

No one really notices him at first, some people think oh he moved in with these people or those.

It takes them a while to realize he's a Stray.

They try to chase him off but he always comes back, and mysteriously disappears whenever the dog catcher is called.

He lingers mostly by the Dursley's, finding a nice rose bush to burrow under that gives a perfect view of the house.

It's a vigil he keeps up for years, ears perking up whenever he hears a baby crying. He can so easily pick out Harry's cries from that other kid in there, but it pleases him and worries him that Harry doesn't cry that often.

For the longest time he doesn't see Harry. He eats from the trash and sleeps in the rain, occasionally daring to move towards the house and try to look through the window.

The first time he gets a look at Harry is half a year later. He's seated in a worn out highchair looking curious as he plays with bits of cereal laid out for him, while his aunt and uncle stand on the other side of the table with another highchair and another baby.

This one pudgy and red faced and screaming as his mother, Lily's sister, tries to get mashed carrots and peas down his throat. He doesn't settle until Petunia gives him a cake, and sets the baby food in front of Harry without a spoon.

There's a scar on his forehead that Sirius sees for the first time, still red and blotched purple as if still healing, in the shape of a lightning bolt.

Sirius' heart breaks in half as his baby godson eats the food left for him unsupervised, scooping the mush onto his fingers because it was familiar and eating it. He looked happy enough, but Sirius could hear through the window when he swivels around and chatters "mumma? Mumma?"

"It's talking again, Petunia darling."

"How am I supposed to stop it?"

"Da? Da?"

"Shut him up, he's upsetting Dudley!"

Sirius growls, Harry must have heard, his green eyes finding Sirius at the window and breaking into a grin as he waved his fists, "Pa-foo! Pa-foo!"

Sirius wants to cry. Harry remembered him.

Then Petunia sees him and screams, Dudley starts crying and Vernon Dursley yells at the window and crashed to the ground, tripping as he tries to get out of his chair, but Harry is laughing and clapping and Sirius feels pleased with his work as he dashes off to hide.

The first time he's given the chance to get near Harry and not just see him through the windows is when harry is five years old.

It's a scorching day out but Harry is sitting on the front stoop of the Dursley's home. He'd been brought there thirty minutes ago by Petunia and given a popsicle, told to keep quiet while Dudley's having his playdate.

He's dressed sloppily, his clothes are too big for him, his sleeve stained in the popsicle that was melting down his hand because he couldn't eat it fast enough. His eyes were squinted like he couldn't quite see and Sirius could already tell he would need glasses. Why he didn't already have them was a mystery.

Sirius, hiding under a bush till that point, creeps out and over to Harry with his head low, just in case he startles him, but little Harry is so brave even at his young age, head turning to squint at Sirius and lighting up when he seems to realize it was a dog.

The polite boy he was offers his popsicle to Sirius, who wasn't rude enough to refuse, and they spend the afternoon finishing the popsicle before he sits next to Harry, who babbles on and on about everything, though he couldn't quite talk well yet. He was a smart boy, despite being only five years old.

Sirius almost forgets he shouldn't be there when Petunia opens the door hours later and screams in horror. Sirius bolts as Vernon sends a kick at him, and Harry complains about his friend being chased away.

Mrs. Figg is not a dog person, but Sirius IS a cat person, and her cats take a liking to him immediately. Some seem to know he was more than what he appeared to be.

He wasn't allowed in the house, but Mrs. Figg left him water and food on the back porch and didn't complain when he slept on her porch swing.

He loved it there even more when the Dursley's started to leave Harry there for Mrs. Figg to babysit. He would sit on the porch and watch dutifully through the glass door as the old woman showed Harry albums of her cats before falling asleep in her chair.

Once she had, he would paw at the door to get Harry's attention, and the boy would come outside to sit with him. He would talk about his day, the Dursley's, whom Sirius was growing to hate more and more each day. Sometimes he would throw a stick or ball, and damn if Sirius wasn't going to chase it to make his godson smile.

He had glasses finally, and his green eyes were just like his mother's, but he looked so much like James already that Sirius sometimes felt his heart being torn out of his chest.

When Harry was eight, somehow Sirius managed to get into the Dursley's house. His godson lead him through the front door and Petunia screamed, and Harry asked if he could keep him.

"No! No! Get that thing out this instant! You stupid boy! That's not even a dog, it's a bear! A bear!"

There was a lot of yelling, Sirius kept his head low, torn between pretending he was a good boy and snarling or snapping at anyone who came close to his godson. He went for the first route and laid himself down, his body trembling from the force it took not to lunge at Vernon Dursley's fat neck.

"If I can keep him I won't talk for a whole two months," Harry said, "and Dudley can have all my desert until I'm ten."

Vernon appeared amused at the proposal, deviously so, "One word out of you and the mutt goes!"

Sirius felt proud of Harry for managing that, but sick at the same time. He expected to be brought to a bedroom, and instead Harry opened a door under the stairs and scooted in before patting the area beside him on the bed that had been shoved in there.

The moment Sirius had jumped up, Vernon had shut the door, and Sirius was utterly horrified when he heard the lock engage and the grate shut with a yell of "not a word!"

Sirius moved between lying on the bed and lying on the but of ground between the bed and the door. Harry kept to his word and remained utterly mute for an entire two months when he was with his family.

The only time he spoke was deep into the knight, with Sirius curled up on the bed and sharing the pillow with Harry as he whispered stories and told Sirius about his day, about muggle school, about the kids bullying him.

"I need to name you, you know?" Harry whispered the first night, "If you're gonna be my dog from now on. What do you think? Spot? Shadow? Spike?"

Sirius snorted loudly and shook his head, ears flapping. What kind or names were those? Harry had definitely inherited his father's pension for bad titles.

"Alright, what about Bolt? Or Ace?"

Harry fell asleep halfway through his long list of absolutely horrible names, and Sirius, for the first time in years, transformed back into himself.

There was no way he was going to live there if Harry was going to give him a dumb ass name like Apollo, Bo, or Benji. So he found a notebook and scribbled down all the names Harry had thought up before writing down "Padfoot" at the bottom and circling it a few times, then transformed back and curled up at Harry's feet.

The next morning Harry was very confused ("Did I write this down? I must have.") But he didn't question it and just settled for the name he must have circled.

"I don't know why I liked Padfoot so much last night, it's a weird name isn't it."

Sirius was greatly offended by it, but there was something warm and nostalgic at the way Harry called him "Pads". It made him even happier when Harry told Vernon his name, because it made his face red in fury.

"What a stupid name! Unnatural! Ridiculous!"

For the next few years, Sirius acted as Padfoot, the Stray taken in by the Dursley's but owned by Harry. He was happy to be with his godson, that was all he wanted, but little things made him so made that sometimes he couldn't stand it, and more than once he nearly transformed to hex the faces off of the Dursley's.

Sirius was kicked out of the house whenever Harry was at school, which was well and good in his opinion, for it allowed him to remain close at all times, watching his godson in the playground and sneaking out to join him when no one was looking. He nipped at the kids who bullied Harry, never actually biting them because then he could get in trouble and wouldn't be able to stay with Harry.

When Hagrid first came on Harry's eleventh birthday, Sirius worried maybe he'd be found out, but instead Hagrid only marveled at him (massive dog, got one of my own, name of Fang, you'll meet him soon Harry!).

Sirius was stuck out of the house for the next year, waiting patiently for Harry to return with news of Hogwarts, happy that they had moved to a bigger room up the stairs, likely to appease Dumbledore. Sirius liked it much better than the little cupboard, and he liked the gorgeous snowy owl that Harry had dubbed Hedwig.

He sat and marveled as his godson showed off pictures of his new friends and told him stories about magic, revealing his wand and wisely saying he wasn't allowed to use magic outside school but don't tell the Dursley's.

His favorite thing was the scrapbook Hagrid had given him, filled with pictures of James and Lily, one framed and sitting on his bedside table that Sirius would sometimes sit and stare at for hours on end, blankly, pitifully.

The second year, when the house elf appeared, and Ron Weasley came flying in a car to rescue Harry, he was urged into the car just as Vernon came crashing through the door, sitting on Harry's lap as they flew in the Ford Anglia towards the Weasley home.

"That's one gnarly mut, Harry," one of the twins noted, and Harry wrapped his arms around Sirius.

"Isn't he brilliant?"

"Massive. And scary," Ron wavered, "Mind keeping him away from Scabbers, do you? Don't mean to be mean, but-."

"Alright Ron, Pads is used to being outside. That okay?"

Sirius nuzzled his bangs, nose against Harry's scar, because no he didn't mind, because they were out of that house and Harry seemed very excited.

Truly the Burrow was a sight to behold, Sirius thought it brilliant, and Molly Weasley didn't mind him as much when she found him chasing gnomes out of her garden. She though it was excellent, offering him bits of bacon as a reward, and Sirius was all too happy to stay there when Molly offered.

"We'll look after him while you're away, Harry darling, make sure he's well fed and exercised. Scrawny and scruffy thing."

Sirius wasn't that excited when Harry, Ron, and the twins were tasked with bathing him, because he wasn't allowed into the house until he was scrubbed clean, complaining the entire time he was being hosed with jets of water and soap and head stooping in complaint when Harry and Ron set about combing the tangles from his black fur.

Only made worse when Ginny started tying bows into the fur at the top of his head while Fred and George laughed themselves sick.

Sirius was a good pet, he was patient and he was enjoying being with Harry, helping him as well as he could, but there were things that he just would not stand for. A year later, the newspaper that Harry recieved from Ron in the mail, that showed the Weasley family in Egypt, had Sirius sick in anger. There on Ron's shoulder was a rat, and Sirius recognized him, as many times he'd seen him transform.

He left that summer, and made the mistake of transforming and being seen by the public, and the next thing he knew his face was being plastered in the Daily Prophet and even the muggle news. Murderer Sirius Black, twelve years a fugitive, spotted after so many years.

He couldn't get close to Harry after that, people were watching out for him now, so he could only follow from a distance, traversing the cruel countryside on his way to Hogwarts and hiding out in the Forbidden Forest, waiting for his chance.

He saw Remus there, for the first time in so long, so many years, and something in his heart both shattered and swelled. He looked aged, tired, but he looked at home, like he belonged there at Hogwarts, as the DADA professor. Like it was truly what he was always meant to do.

During the full moons Sirius sat at the edge of the forest waiting, watching, just in case, in case Remus needed him, but he never saw him wandering thr grounds. Sirius only hoped he was okay.

Many times he'd see Remus walking alone, limping, a walking stick in his hand that he leaned heavily against. Sirius trailed after him and stayed in the shadows, watched after his old friend.

His favorite moments were when Remus walked with Harry, talking, many times talking about James and Lily, and Sirius was so happy that Harry had someone he could talk to about his parents, who knew his parents as well as Remus did.

Harry didn't seem all that worried over the Grimm prophecy that he discussed with Remus, shrugging casually.

Harry: That's not a Grimm, that's my dog, Padfoot.

Remus: Pad what now?

Harry: Yea, but he ran away just after school got out last year. I hope he's okay.

Remus: Pad what now?

We all know how oblivious Harry is though.

"The Mauraders map has my dogs name on it, how weird."

The rest of the year goes by the same as in the books, Sirius ends it by escaping with Buckbeak and Harry is left very confused but very happy.

"I guess my godfather was with me all this time after all, looking out for me."

"It's only a little weird that he was a dog for like, twelve whole years."

"And slept on the foot of my bed."

Remus: He did that when we were younger too. Sometimes he did it when he wasn't transformed. I don't think he realized.

Sirius: Remus he wanted to call me Spot.

Remus: Lol.

Sirius: It's not funny, Moons.

[jilyss]

Here’s the Thing

James is forced into going to a charity ball, but accidentally told his Aunt that he had a girlfriend. Lily steps into help.

ao3!

“So Lily, here’s the thing,” James said, tossing a handful of chips in his mouth. Lily sighed but didn’t look up from her book. She was sitting in the Gryffindor common room, working on one of McGonagall’s crazy hard NEWT essays, struggling, and didn’t want to be interrupted. He, of course, had finished the essay two nights ago after minimal research, and she just knew he was going to get full marks while she would scrape an ‘A’. Typical James Potter.

Sirius plopped down on the couch next to her, jostling her arm and spilling ink all over the paper. Groaning, she pulled her wand out, mopped up the mess and then turned to James.

“What’s up?”

“Mum’s having a Charity Ball next Saturday. It’s a hogsmeade weekend anyway, so it’d be easy to get away.” He paused a ran a hand through his hair sheepishly. “But I accidentally told her I had a date.”

“How do you accidentally tell your mum you have a nonexistent date?” Lily asked, eyebrows raised.

Sirius snorted next to her, and slung his arm over the back of the couch. “She’s been around since summer time, apparently.”

James winced. “Great Aunt Darcy has been bothering me about getting married for years - years, Evans - and I got so tired of it that I finally just said I had a bird. Sirius begged out of it, but since I skipped out last time…”

Lily raised her eyebrows again. “So you want me to go and pretend I’m your girlfriend for a few hours?”

“Basically, yeah.” He moved to stand in front of her so that she wasn’t twisted around. “I asked Marlene, but she’s going on a date with Diggory again, and Dorcas won’t wear a dress. It’s kind of a formal thing, so you need a dress.”

Lily groaned once again. She knew this wasn’t a good idea - Lately, James had somehow been making her nervous, even when they were just doing head duties together. It’s not like she was in love with him or anything - but, she couldn’t help but notice when he came back from quidditch practice, if his shirt was sticking to his chest from sweat, or if his hair was even more tousled than usual, and she couldn’t help if her mind wandered to it later. That was natural, right?. “Fine, but after this, you have to tell your Great Aunt Darcy that we broke up, alright? And you owe me big.” She stood, gathering her things and headed for her dormitory.

Saturday arrived. Lily had dug up the hideous formal dress she had worn to Petunia’s wedding, and with Marlene’s help, transformed the dress into something with a slimer, less ugly fit. It had originally been pink with puffy sleeves, a flared waist and bows everywhere. They changed it to dark green, cut-away the sleeves entirely into thin straps and a v-neck neckline, and stripped it of the bows. A long slit along the side, created by Marlene, and a pair of black heels helped show off her long, slim legs. She straightened her hair a bit and put on light makeup, but other than that, left it alone.

Hoping she was dressed appropriately, she threw a hogwarts cloak around her shoulders and walked down the stairs. James was waiting at the bottom, just before the common room entrance, similarly wrapped in a hogwarts cloak, but underneath she could see he was wearing polished black dress robes. He grinned at her as she walked down, and her stomach did a somersault at his smile.

“I clean up good don’t I Evans?” James said, extending his arm for her. She laughed and swatted at his arm. ‘We aren’t there yet, Potter.” Then she frowned. “How exactly are we getting past everyone in this getup?”

James smiled broadly and removed a bundle of silvery cloth from his robes. He winked at her and then threw it around the both of them. Instantly, her feet disappeared and she let out a surprised shout.

“You have an invisibility cloak?” She exclaimed. “I can’t believe I never realized this was how you got around. You four are damn good at keeping secrets.”

James glanced over her shoulder, shushing her and pressing her up against the wall as a chattering pair of fourth years sauntered down the stairs. He was pressed tightly against her, and her breath quickened. She swallowed hard as he grabbed her hand once they passed and said, “Family heirloom. Lucky me, huh?”

Lily grinned, amazed. James pulled her out into the common room, ducking to keep the cloth covering their feet. They slipped past the mostly empty room, out the door and down the hallways. They made it out of the castle and into hogwarts before they finally spoke, far enough away to avoid raising suspicion.

It was just barely sunset as they made it to Hogsmeade, and then apparated to his house. They touched just outside two metal gates onto a gravel road, and Lily’s jaw dropped. She knew Potter was rich, but this was something else. A grey mansion - castle, really - sat on a huge grass lawn, with four pillars in front. There had to be at least fifty windows just on the front side, and she could see even more along the side. She was suddenly very glad she had seriously fixed up her dress.

James looked at her sheepishly as she turned to him, running a hand through his hair. She punched his shoulder. “James! Why didn’t you warn me?”

James blushed, ducking his head. “Sorry I just - Dad invented sleakeazy - you know that hair gel stuff?” Lily nodded, surprised that she hadn’t known that. For all Potter bragged, he had never mentioned that he was loaded.

It took them a solid five minutes to walk to the front of the house. The front doors were open, and music spilled out onto the lawn. Two guards approached them, checking for identification, and then let them proceed into the house. James helped her out of her cloak and hung them on a coat rack. He whistled as she fixed her dress, smoothing out the wrinkles, and she blushed. “Damn Evans, you clean up even better than I do.”

Two large banisters sat on either side of the house, leading to rooms upstairs, but James took her arm and lead her down the middle and to the right, into a large ballroom, complete with a live orchestra, food, drinks, and tables along the back.

An older couple appeared moments later, and James grabbed them both into a tight hug. “Uh, Lily, meet my mum and dad.”

“Lily! We’ve heard so much about you!” His mum immediately pulled her into a hug, and James blushed behind her back.

“James has told me lots of good things about you too, Mrs. Potter,” Lily said, smiling. When Euphemia turned away, Lily mouthed “Heard a lot about me?”, and he rolled his eyes. It was easy to like this infectious woman, and she could tell where James got his enthusiasm. “Please, call me Euphemia, dear.” Lily shook Fleamont, his dad’s hand, and then they bustled off to meet more guests.

More people came and introduced themselves to James and Lily, exclaiming about what a cute couple they made. James slipped into the rich, polished talk easily, although still cracking his usual jokes, while Lily felt herself grow smaller as the night went on, letting James do the talking. His hand hovered around her constantly, sometimes settled lightly on the small of his back, sometimes around her shoulders.  

When they finally caught a break, James grabbed them drinks and led her over to a table far at the back, touching her back gently. “Everything ok?”

Lily forced a smile on her face. Honestly, it shouldn’t matter that James almost had a different persona while they were here. He had grown up in money, and he could talk like it. Lily had grown in Cokeworth, where her parents had worked in factories, forgoing meals to send them to school. It’s only a night, Lily told herself.

“I’m fine,” she said quickly, but she could tell James didn’t really believe her. “We should probably act more like a couple. I think we’re the only people younger than fifty here, gotta give them something to gossip about, right?”

He smirked. “Missing my company?” Lily winked, twisting so that her chair was closer to his, and she leaned in close to him, both of them turning up the charm simultaneously. He wrapped an arm around her casually, making sparks dance along her bare shoulders, and her heartbeat quickened. She swallowed hard. Maybe suggesting that had been a bad idea.

They stayed there for a few minutes, chatting about hogwarts, friends, and whether or not the Puddlemere United or the Wimbourne Wasps would win the tournament next saturday. Lily was strongly rooting for the Wasps, while James was a strong supporter of Puddlemere since birth.

Finally, Lily squeezed his hand excused herself to the washroom. Touching James for so long had made her cheeks turn bright red, and she had only drunk one glass of champagne. She walked out of the ballroom, her heels clicking lightly against the marble floor, and realized she didn’t know where to go. She turned left and walked along the spacious room, checking in open rooms for a bathroom.

At least five minutes had passed before she found one. Her hair was a little frizzy, and her cheeks were still red, so she waved her wand quickly to clean up. She stowed her wand back in her purse, and moved to the door when she heard her name whispered just outside the bathroom. She stopped in her tracks, and pulled her wand back out quietly, and listened. Two ladies were talking just outside the bathroom in furious whispers.

“Lily Evans? The tramp that Fleamont’s son has on his arm?” One said. Lily could see her shadow on the wall. She was a short, plump lady wearing a feathered hat. The other was shaped like an hourglass - so much so that Lily wondered if that was natural.

“She’s barely wearing enough for a swimsuit! And… I heard that-” her voice dropped even lower, and Lily had to strain to hear. “- Her parents aren’t wizards.”

“You mean she’s a -” Lily could see the shadow nodding dramatically, and then heard a gasp. She took a step back. Her heart felt heavy, and she could feel tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. Taking a shaky breath, she squared her shoulders and walked out of the bathroom.

The two ladies fell silent as Lily walked between them, seemingly unashamed that they had been heard. A few steps past them, she could hear them whisper frantically again. Hoping it was an isolated incident, she made her way back through the hallways, throngs of people, and found James talking with Sirius, who had just arrived.

She grabbed a small plate of food and settled in between James and Sirius, pressing a light kiss on his cheek. James gave her an odd look. “Are you alright?”

Lily pretended she didn’t know what he was talking about, determined to not let a couple of pureblood supremacists bother her. She smiled brightly and offered him food, knowing he could never turn it down. It distracted him for a few minutes until it was gone, and James leaned over and kissed the the top of her head quickly. He stood up, straightening his suit, and offered a hand to Lily. “Dance with me?” Lily set her purse down and nodded, and flashed a bright smile. He looked good in dress robes, how have I not noticed before? She wondered briefly, but pushed the thoughts out of her head as her cheeks turned red again.

They moved through groups of people until they reached the middle of the dance floor. He settled is hands on her lower back as a slower song turned on, and she slid her hands up his toned shoulders and leaned her head against his shoulder. They danced in silence for a minute, which was unusual. Ever since they had become head boy and girl, they had found it easy to get along. But now, Lily was at a loss for words. Things seemed icy between them, and she wasn’t sure why.

The song finished and Lily pulled away, lacing her arm through James’, moving toward the exit. As they moved back through the crowd, there was a tap on her shoulder, and she turned. The two ladies from the bathroom, along with two older men, stood behind her, each wearing tight, polite smiles. Lily nodded at them, ice in her eyes.

“Hello Mrs. Farraday and Mrs. Wright,” James said. He nodded at the two men, who nodded stiffly back. Lily glanced at him to see how well he knew them, but he gave no hints away.

“James, dear, we were just talking the other day -” Mrs. Farraday began, waving a gloved hand in the air. “-with Euphemia about how excited we were that you would be graduating Hogwarts this year.”

“We are a little concerned, however, that you may be choosing the wrong sort of friends,” Mrs. Wright said. James stiffened next to her, and Lily tried to slide her hand out of his, but he held on firmly. “We welcome everyone of course, but dating a mudblood is out of -”

Lily’s jaw dropped, and then snapped shut with an audible click. James dropped her hand and her heart sunk in her chest. She stood her ground, but her smile slipped and she could feel her eyes start to water. She tossed her hair over her shoulder, crossed her arms, preparing to defend herself to James and the two ladies, but James spoke first.

“My girlfriend, Lily Evans, is more of a witch than either of you ever were.” He shoved his hands angrily in his pockets, speaking loudly. “She has seven outstanding O.W.L.s, a incredibly ingenious brain, and a heart bigger than anyone is this room. Who her parents are shouldn’t - doesn’t matter - and if you don’t accept that, you can leave. Right now.”

He reached out and grabbed Lily’s shaking hand, and pulled her away, leaving the two stuttering women behind. They wove through the crowd, Lily holding tight to James hand, keeping her anchored to the ground. They slipped out of the ballroom, neither saying anything until James led them a flight of stairs, down a long hallway, and into a large bedroom.

The room was covered with quidditch posters, gryffindor banners, Light Secrecy band posters, and various books scattered throughout the room. Once in the room, James closed the door behind them, letting go of her hand. He thrust a hand through his hair and blew out his breath. “Lily I - I had no idea that would happen. Mum and dad don’t agree - they aren’t pureblood supremacists - I’m so sorry.”  

Lily was standing in the middle of the room, looking around, while James paced back and forth. The lighting was dark, light mainly filtering in through the window from the moon. “Is this your room?”

“Yeah. Lily -” James stopped abruptly, watching her carefully. She took off her heels and sat on his bed, then laid down, letting her hair fan out behind her. James moved so that he was sitting next to her, hip just barely brushing her exposed thigh. She’d stopped shaking with anger now that she was away from the crowd because she could think more clearly, although James close proximity wasn’t helping.

“I heard them talking in the bathroom,” Lily said. “Don’t blame yourself James, I’m honestly used to it.”

He threw himself down next to her, and she could feel shivers run up her arm. “But… you shouldn’t have to get used to it. It’s… It’s so bloody wrong, and I can’t do anything about it. They said it right to your face Lily, how can you -”

Lily propped herself up on her elbow so that she was leaning over him, eyes made of steel. “James, I’m fine. You’re fine. You have amazing parents, an amazing house. You don’t need to worry about me.”

She could see him bite his lip in the darkness, and she had to tear her eyes away so she wouldn’t lean down and see just how soft they actually were. Lily laid back down, looking up at the ceiling. James found her hand in the darkness, threading his fingers through hers. They were quiet for a minute, each lost in their own thoughts.

James turned so that he was leaning over her. “Are you sure you’re ok?”

Lily nodded, sitting up. “Yeah. Do we need to go back to the party? I think -”

“Nah, they didn’t expect me to stay the entire time anyway.” He bit his lip, and Lily had to fight back a groan. “Besides, I don’t think I could take much more.”

Lily turned to look at him, confused. “What?”

James used his arm to cover his face but continued speaking. “You look amazing Evans.”

Lily’s breath hitched, but she didn’t say anything. He propped himself up on his elbows, still not looking at her, but she could see a faint smirk on his lips. “You couldn’t keep your hands off me.”

Lily swatted his arm, tucking her knee under her. “It was for the act, piss off James. You’re the one who wanted to be my boyfriend for the night.”

He shot up suddenly, putting his hands on either side of the bed so that his face was inches away from hers. Lily forced herself to stay calm. “I can’t be the only one who thought that… maybe I didn’t want it just for tonight.”

Lily shook her head, still in denial about what she wanted. But it was getting harder and harder to supress it as James reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, brushing her cheek with his fingertips. He smirked as she shivered, then leaned closer to her.

She had no idea what possessed her to do it, but she leaned forward, pulling him by his tie, and kissed him. There was no hesitation on his end, meeting her lips with equal passion and enthusiasm. He moved his hands from the sides to slide up her dress and settle one on her bare shoulder, fingertips heating her skin, and another threaded through her hair.

Lily could barely think. He knew exactly what he was doing, lips and mouth leaving her breathless while his fingers created hot trails down her back, on her shoulders, spreading throughout her body. She shivered as his mouth left hers and wandered to her cheek, down to her shoulders, before returning. He pulled away, smiling, and she pulled back, breathless. He twisted so that he was facing her better, but didn’t lean in again, so she stayed back, watching him carefully.

He pulled even farther away, and Lily could feel her heart sink a little bit, unsure of what had just happened. He wouldn’t look her in the eye, and suddenly, she was worried that she had made a drastic mistake. “Evans - Lily, I… don’t want…” He blew out his breath, reaching out to grab her hand. “I really like you Lily, and I don’t want - that wasn’t just for show, right?”

Lily laughed, feeling relieved. “James, we’re hiding in your room. Who is here for us to show off for?”

James grinned, as if those words really had confirmed his feelings. He ran a hand through his already tousled hair, and Lily bit her lip just watching him do that. His eyes darkened, and his hot gaze made her pull him in again, harder this time, and with more confidence.

There was a knock at the door, and although they were still fully dressed, Lily’s lipstick was smeared on James’ cheek, and James’ hair was more dishelved than usual, his tie now loose around his neck.

They pulled away, both grinning brightly and laughing, straightening themselves out as quickly as possible as James went to open the door. Euphemia was standing at the door, levitating a small tray of desserts with her wand. She walked in, sneaking a wink at Lily that made her blush furiously, and set them on a crowded desk.

“I hope you’ll come back downstairs for a few more minutes, if you’re up for it,” She said, smiling brightly. Lily looked away momentarily, remembering the comments from earlier, but tried to keep a brave face. Euphemia raised an eyebrow, putting her hands on her hips. “Is everything alright?”

James glanced back at Lily from where he was leaning on the doorframe, but didn’t say anything. Lily nodded, standing to join James. “Yeah, everything’s good.”

Euphemia stared her down, knowing that Lily was lying, but didn’t press the subject, instead reaching over and pinching her cheek lightly. “Alright, now don’t get into too much trouble up here, ok?”

James nodded, blushing as she left, and closed the door behind her. “We don’t have to go down if you don’t want to.”

Lily grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly. “I’m all good now. I think… I’m ready.”

James kissed her forehead, and opened the door again. “Ok, but… let me know if you want to leave, alright?”

She squeezed his hand tightly, and pulled him through the door, stealing one more quick kiss.

[werewolfdracomalfoy]

Moerae

Sirius Black has a gift. He has the Sight.

Sirius Black may have been born with the Sight. He isn't quite sure. He can remember at a young age, telling his mother that he was going to have a brother soon. His mother, of course, didn't believe him, because she wasn't pregnant at the time. Mother and Father slept in separate rooms like the good purebloods they were- so she knew that she wasn't pregnant. Sirius couldn't find the words to explain that she wasn’t pregnant yet, but that didn't matter when Walburga didn't want to hear any more on the subject. But two years younger than Sirius, Regulus was born. And Sirius told the truth. 

He dreamt of a brother named Regulus and no others. Looking back, this may have been what started to twist his mother against him. His repetition that ‘No, mother, I will not have any other siblings’ may have planted the seed. Orion and Walburga tried for three more times before they gave on any other children to pad out the Black family tree.

Sirius dreams of little things. His cousin Bella arguing with her sister Andi over who owns the mink throw that Bella wore to Cissy’s birthday dinner. He dreams of playing with Regulus. He dreams of Cissy’s quiet frowns when Sirius acts out. He dreams of Bella teaching him how to blast Kreacher with a sharp flick and a muttered word.

Remus's name is the first name that Sirius dreams outside of a family member. Remus's name has been on the tip of his tongue since he was six years old. When he is eight, Sirius dreams of Moony. He dreams of grey vision and tall grass and trees, he dreams of running with a wolf and feeling love and peace and joy. It is only when he is nine that he dreams that Remus the boy and Moony the wolf are the same.

James comes next. At eight years old, Sirius has one younger brother, but he is thrilled when he dreams of another brother. One that Sirius knows will make him intensely happy, but only for a brief time. Sirius doesn’t know how, but in that time James will shape his world. At ten, he learns Jaidev and Prongs are other names for James like Moony is another name for Remus.

Sirius dreams of James and of Remus. He dreams of learning bits of Hindi and bits of Welsh and throwing them together in the same sentence until his brother and his Remus laugh with tears in their eyes. There’s a shadow on the edge of the dreams and sometimes he laughs, sometimes he speaks in an indecipherable tone.

The week before Hogwarts, Sirius can't sleep, can't eat. He does nothing but cries for three days. Then for the last four days, he tries, but no tears come. Sirius knows, and he tells Regulus this, he knows that he will be so happy, then there are nine instances of suffering and then twelve years of misery. Regulus asks if the misery is why Sirius is crying, but Sirius doesn't know the answer. He can't answer that.

Sirius enters Hogwarts excited to learn about magic and spells. The first week is awful. He and James are friends, but Sirius can't seem to let go of him and James needs Sirius to back off because they’ve just met. Sirius struggles with this for most of his first year. James is/was/will be his brother- so why doesn't James want to spend all day with him.

Remus is even worse. Sirius tries to charm him out of his shell but it’s like pulling teeth with his bare hands. The harder he tries, the more Remus curls into himself. Remus doesn’t speak a full sentence to Sirius until late spring. But Sirius adjusts and their friendships fall together like it should. Sirius tries to stop dreaming.

Peter is a sore spot for Sirius from the moment they meet. Peter feels like poking at a loose tooth and wondering when it will fall out. Sirius chalks this up to jealousy and the realization that Peter will outlive all others but Remus. He won't be happy, or unhappy. But he will live and Sirius can think of no fate worse than living without experiencing life.

When he lays eyes on Snape, Sirius knows on sight, that Snape will make him do something awful. Sirius doesn't know what it is, but Sirius hates him immediately. James doesn't understand.  Sirius doesn't know how to explain that he gets these feelings that are always right but that can't be explained, but James follows along in tormenting Snape.

Halfway through the school year, Sirius dreams of James and Lily’s wedding. When Sirius is 12, he dreams of knowing that James has been killed. He dreams of screaming, "Traitor!" until his voice is gone and all he can do is laugh and cry. He dreams of blaming himself and losing himself in sorrow and terror and rage. He’s so scared of what he Saw that he doesn’t dream like that again until after the Prank.

Then, all Sirius wants to know is if Remus will forgive him. But instead, he knows that in seventeen years, he will kneel at Remus’s feet and cry. Remus will whisper, “Oh, I forgave you a long time ago,” in his ear.

Sirius doesn’t try again until little Hari’s first birthday. Dumbledore has approached James and Lily about the Fidelis Charm and Sirius wants to know if it will work. He opens his Eye and dreams for a long time.

When he wakes, he is shaking and in pain with a heavy tongue, a growing pit in his stomach and makes a decision. Sirius is the obvious choice for Secret Keeper. But this plan cannot fail if someone else is made the secret keeper. Remus is out because he has not been around for months. Sirius recommends Peter because Peter has stayed out of the war and has been tending to his ailing mother. The pit in his stomach grows larger, but Sirius chalks it up to anxiety.

Halloween night, Sirius finds out that even this plan has failed to keep his brother alive.

He gives his bike to Hagrid, says goodbye to baby Hari, and tries to kill Peter in supplication to James and Lily.

It doesn’t work. Peter escapes and Sirius is sent to Azkaban.

He wants to tell Remus, but Sirius knows that while Remus will forgive any sins that Sirius confesses, the rest of the world is not as kind. So he keeps his mouth shut and never says a word.

Sirius has never tried to hone his Sight, never tried to strengthen his blood-borne ability. But in Azkaban, he has nothing but time. Most of what he Sees is bleak, but he chalks that up to the presence of the Death Eaters. It takes two years before he Sees anything other than the screams of “Expelliarmus!” and flashes of Lily’s green eyes in James’s face. Sirius knows this has to be Hari.

He Sees as Hari is placed in the cupboard under the stairs. Sees him move into the larger room upstairs, but still. The boy stays so skinny and he has a haunted look in his eyes that reminds Sirius of his own face each summer that he was required to return to Grimmauld Place. He knows that Hari is a Gryffindor, Sees the maroon and gold striped scarf that Hari wraps around his neck when he heads into Hogsmeade. The two children he's with, Sirius focuses until he passes out just to try to learn their names.

Sirius is only 3 years into his time at Azkaban when he Sees Peter as a rat running through a household. Now Sirius spends his time doing two things: planning his escape, and strengthening his Sight.

Four years in Azkaban and Sirius Sees Remus crying over the Map in an office late at night.

Five years in Azkaban and Sirius Dreams of leaving the prison and his sight is in shades of grey. Sirius screams himself hoarse when he realizes that he can't feel Padfoot anymore. He can't find that place in his mind where he can transform into Padfoot. The worst part is Bellatrix’s screaming laughter echoing after Sirius’s voice is gone.

Six years in Azkaban and Sirius Sees Voldemort rise from the dead again. He knew already, that it would take a lot for Voldemort to die, but knowing and Seeing, Sirius has come to realize are two different experiences. He knew, back in his 2nd year that Regulus would die alone and terrified and in so much pain. But looking at Hari's face when that rat takes the blood from him, is so much worse. 

Seven years in Azkaban and Sirius Sees a young Hari speaking parseltongue to a snake in a muggle zoo. Sirius has grown so used to Seeing older Hari make his way through Hogwarts, that Sirius is startled by the sight of this younger Hari.

Eight years in Azkaban and Sirius watches himself try and fail to kill Peter with Remus by his side.

Nine years in Azkaban and Sirius watches a young blond boy hold Dumbledore at wand point. Sirius doesn't know who he is until the light shines off his white-blond hair and Sirius can't help himself from screaming out, "Like father, like son!" But then later, after Sirius calms down and tries again. The light is softer and Sirius Sees the boys' face. He sees Narcissa's fear and determination in the boy's eyes. Like mother, like son, Sirius thinks.

Ten years in Azkaban and Sirius can feel himself getting closer to freedom. Remus used to talk about things being so close he could taste it, but Sirius is so close that he can See it. There's a puddle in his cell now and Sirius spends his days staring into the water. He's not that good at it, but the visions that he does get, come from further away in time. This is when Sirius gets to meet his godson’s friends- Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. It's here that Sirius watches Remus and Andi’s daughter, Dora- when did she grow up?- ask Hari to be the godfather to their son, Teddy. Sirius doesn’t look in the water after that.

Twelve years in Azkaban and Sirius is so angry staring up at the full moon one night after finding Peter in a picture in the Prophet that he looks into the puddle again. It’s been almost two years since he opened his Eye, but Sirius easily Sees Hari name his firstborn, James Sirius. Sirius feels the closest thing to joy that he's felt in years. The Dementors don't take that away fast enough and Sirius turns into Padfoot again. He slips through the bars and makes his escape.

Sirius has been out of Azkaban for three months when he stares into a puddle with no intention of using his Sight. But he Sees anyway. He watches Hari die in the Forbidden Forest at age seventeen. He cries for the godson who does not remember him.

Sirius is thrown back to himself at 17, still begging Remus for forgiveness for that one big thing, but pretending he wanted forgiveness for something little. Knowing that he didn't deserve it, knowing that Remus will say that he forgives Sirius. But Sirius knows that Remus was never angry with Sirius about Snape because for Remus it confirms every awful thing he believes about himself. While sleeping on James’s sofa, Sirius remembers telling James that he Saw those three flashes of green light on Halloween night in 1981. James said he believed Sirius but Sirius could read the skepticism on his face. That was the only time that Sirius tried to tell someone about his Sight.

It's only now, twelve years after James’s death that Sirius realizes what he's done. He spent every moment possible trying to rebel against his fate. He fought to keep things light and fun so they might avoid the time of their deaths and suffering but only brought about of all the horrors in his own life. Snape was driven to hate them all because of Sirius's treatment of him. He pushed Remus away and whatever they could have been, Sirius made them fall apart by refusing to talk about the terrible things Sirius knew were to come. And Peter, Sirius overlooked him because he was too absorbed in trying to prevent James's death that he never considered that the pit in his stomach was because of the Sight and not because of his growing panic.

This, he realizes, is why Seers lock themselves away and leave a written record of their "visions." They look further ahead than their time, and they don't use their Sight on things too close to home. Because it hurts, it hurts so fucking much.

Sirius promises himself that he will write all of what he knows down this time around. He wishes he had told Remus then, “I will always love you. Even when it hurts and I am gone, I still love you.”

Otherwise, Sirius will die having not forgiven himself.

[fuckkerydicckery]

Ronks (remus and tonks)

Both Remus and Tonks were hiding in a field of corn. They were spying on a death eater to see if he did anything suspicious that would help The Order in any way shape or form. Nothing so far happened that was worth mentioning to The Order. No one had left the house or even enter the house in the hours they had been spying.This death eater wasn’t very close to the Dark Lord, but Dumbledore insisted that the two would spy on him just in case Voldemort did pay a visit or any other death eater that was high in ranks.

It was a mildly warm night, Remus was thankful for that. It would have been horrid if it was freezing cold and they had to spy for hours and hours freezing. There was a small breeze but it was more than warm. It was already nightfall, Remus guessed it was around eleven or midnight.Deep down Remus was scared that someone would notice them spying, but they were hidden deep in the cornfield. So no one could even see them unless they physically tried to find them.Remus was using omnioculars so he could view the death eater, the omnioculars gave him just a close image it seemed like he was right beside the house itself. Every so often he would give than to Tonks so she could observe, then she would give them back to him. So far the two had very little conversation, they both were concentration on the house. For the past year Tonks and Remus developed a close friendship, they had been already on a few missions before so they both knew each other very well. But Remus was in love with Tonks, every time Dumbledore assigned them together his heart would ring out in joy. He loved spending every second with Tonks. Even in silence, he felt so comfortable, so calm around her. At this point in their friendship they told each other everything, Remus knew everything about Tonks and vise versa.

All Remus could hear was Tonks breathing, it was slow and steady. He knew she was concentrating, ready for anything. Him and Tonks mostly always talked, they were never quite. The odd time they were paired together would be a good day for both of them. They would catch up on their missions and just laugh the whole time. The last time they were paired together would have been two or three weeks ago on a one night mission. There wasn’t that much to catch up on, the biggest thing that happened to Remus was a full moon. But he didn’t know if anything big happened to Tonks. Some days he worried she would tell him she was in a relationship, or he would learn she fell in love with a young wizard. Remus always feared for that day, he loved Tonks. But he could never admit to that love. Tonks deserved better… Better than him.

“Once again, we are sent on another mission on where we do nothing.” Tonks quietly whispered. It was true, it seemed whenever they were paired together nothing eventful happened that was worth mentioning to the order.

“That is true, but it’s always fun. You and I do make a good team.” Remus replied Tonks gave him a smile then looked back at the Death Eaters house.

“Nothing at all is happening, I sometimes wonder Dumbledore's sanity. He sends us on the most boring missions.” Tonks complained, still looking at the death eaters house. Tonks did have a point, but he loved having missions where they didn’t do anything but talk. He loved spending every second with Tonks. They stayed silent for another ten minutes. Remus couldn’t help but stare at Tonks. He always found himself stare at Tonks when she wasn’t looking at him. She was just too beautiful.

“How have your past few weeks been?” Remus questioned Tonks.

“Not much has happened, just normal auror stuff. They mostly have me do assignments no one else wants to do. But it’s better than nothing.”  Tonks replied, but immediately her face went red in embarrassment from the last sentence she said, “I didn’t mean it like that or anything I was just saying-”

“You don’t need to explain I get what you meant.” Remus pushed off, he knew she worked herself wrong and he couldn’t take offense. Remus was a grown man, without a job, or a life for that matter. He felt a pit of sadness, he wished he was more than what he really was. He felt like an embarrassment, Tonks would have a successful life. She was already more successful than Remus, which pained him deeply.

“So how were your past few weeks?” Tonks said, trying to change the conversation

“Uneventful, the most I had was a full moon and that isn’t very exciting,” replied Remus.  Tonks replied to his comment then continued to spy. He could tell she was still embarrassed by what she said so he didn’t try to start another conversation with her. Once again they sat in silence, but this time it was awkward. A feeling Remus could never remember between the two. The awkwardness slowly disappeared but they remained silent for another ten minutes until Tonks started a new conversation.

“You know what I find weird?” Tonks asked, once again looking at Remus. He could tell she was debating even saying those few words by the look on her face.

“What?” Remus replied to her question. Sometimes Tonks asked the stupidest questions that were so naive, questions that Remus found so obvious. But then Remus remembered Tonks was over twelve years younger than him. She still was practically a child, she barely knew anything nor barely lived.

“How after twelve years,” Tonks started, hesitating, “how Sirius still looks so handsome. Most people who leave Azkaban look like hell and they have been there for a few months. He was there for twelve years, but still, he looks the same. Still the smug handsome Sirius.”

“He always got the girls attention, he was always the handsome one.” Remus bluntly answered her question. Inside he was screaming and raging. He thought Tonks liked him, just how she acted around him. But maybe she was trying to get to know his best friend, Sirius. Lupin was trying to remain calm, hence why his answer was quite short and blunt. He looked over to see Tonks reaction, her face was mad. Her lips were pressed against each other, she was shaking her head in disbelief, and her eyes locked between Remus’s.

“You know perfectly well who I’ve fallen for.” Tonks said angrily, “if you weren't too busy feeling sorry for yourself.” Remus was taken back by her comment, never once did she yell at him like she did. Never did she ever point out his flaws, or anything.

“I-” Remus started but Tonks interrupted.

“You always dwell on yourself Remus, you make yourself less of a person. I know you know I love you and I know you have feelings for me. But your too in doubt of yourself to see on it. I could tell when I pointed out having to do all the dirty work was better than nothing, you were hurt. I understand that it must be terrible. But how can you just leave me hanging, I’m so madly in love with you it hurts. And you just sit here and act like I'm just another one of your friends.  I can’t stand it anymore. I can’t stand you avoiding your feelings for me because you're sorry for yourself. I can’t.”

The whole time Tonks was ranting Remus stared at her, trying to hold back tears. Tonks herself was crying. Remus couldn’t believe what was happening, he didn’t know what to say.

“I can’t.” Remus said, “ I can’t love you because you deserve more.”

“Remus this is what I mean you're stuck in this world were your not good enough, because you are,” Tonks told Remus, tears still flowing down her face.

“No I am not,” Remus started to explain his voice starting to crack, “you need someone younger, someone, who has a job, someone who can provide. You don’t need someone years older, you don’t need someone who is really a monster.” At this point Remus was looking away from Tonks, he could feel some tears flowing down his face but he quickly wiped them. As he was wiping them away he heard her scoff.

“That doesn’t matter to me Remus, I don’t care!” She pleaded Remus turned around to her and looked her straight in the eye.

“To me it does, I don’t want you to love me then realize you made a mistake. I’m not worth loving. I could never put you through me, Tonks.” Remus cried. Tonks was shaking her head, her clothes were starting to become damp from all the tears.

“Remus, you need to start understanding you a human too, not just-” Tonks bawled, she couldn’t even finish the sentence from all her tears.

“You don’t understand, I am not a human. I’m a monster. I’m not worth loving.”

“Yes, you are Remus, to me you are!” Tonks quietly said over her tears. Remus just stared at her, he didn’t know what to say at this point. He could do what Tonks wanted and truly love her back. Remus knew he couldn’t love her how she deserved too. He wanted it so bad, she wanted it so bad but he couldn’t. Everything he wanted he would never be able to have. So he just looked at Tonks, her face was so helpless. Tonks was looking down at the ground, he knew she was still crying but her sobs became quite.She looked so lost and alone, she needed Remus and Remus needed her. But he needed to make a decision, a hard decision.

“No,” Remus whispered. Tonks immediately looked up at him, tears still flowing down her cheeks.

“No what?” Tonks said.

“No, it will never work. I won’t argue with you, because I will never change my mind.” Remus confirmed to Tonks.

Remus looked at Tonks to see how she would react. He was afraid she would scream, or yell, or cry.But, her face immediately lost all emotion, tears stopped flowing down her red rosy cheeks, Tonks' mouth was straight no frown or anything. She took a long deep breath and looked up into the sky then back at Remus. He saw her hair turn a mousy brown colour with a bit of waves. Just for a few seconds, he saw her with her new hair, then he heard a loud crack and then she was gone. Quickly Remus apparated because he knew tonks just blew their cover. He was back at his shabby apartment, alone. He collapsed to the floor and started to cry.  Like everything in his life, he just lost Tonks. The one person he ever loved romantically he lost because he was scared.  Scared of failing her, he wished he could take back what he said and love Tonks. But he couldn’t. Remus knew he was too old, too poor, and would never be good enough for the young whimsical auror he fell in love with.

[cassie5squared]

frozenoverblackballoon

reblogged

your post:

frozenoverblackballoon: mischiefmanagedmwpp: I’m...

He could have called her a slute for hanging out with the four bullies that sexually assaulted him, a bitch for laughing...

...No. That is not how it works. You are placing all the blame here on Lily, and while I don’t subscribe to the idea that she was an angel, you are being disgustingly unfair towards her.

Allow me to present the order of events!

From OOTP, Chapter 28:

'Leave him ALONE!' James and Sirius looked round. James's free hand immediately jumped to his hair. It was one of the girls from the lake edge. She had thick, dark red hair that fell to her shoulders, and startlingly green almond-shaped eyes--Harry's eyes. Harry's mother.

Lily was not “hanging out” with the Marauders; she was sitting a good distance away and only came over when she saw what was going on. Severus knows she dislikes them.

Please enlighten me as to why he would think of her as a “slute”, which I presume you meant to mean “slut”, for hanging out with them, when she doesn’t hang out with them and in fact avoids them as much as possible.

'All right, Evans?' said James, and the tone of his voice was suddenly pleasant, deeper, more mature. 'Leave him alone,' Lily repeated. She was looking at James with every sign of great dislike. 'What's he done to you?' 'Well,' said James, appearing to deliberate the point, 'it's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean ...' Many of the surrounding students laughed, Sirius and Wormtail included, but Lupin, still apparently intent on his book, didn't, and nor did Lily. 'You think you're funny,' she said coldly. 'But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him alone.'

More evidence that Lily doesn’t associate with the Marauders, nor does she show any sign of wanting to! She is openly and loudly sticking up for Severus here and not joining in the laughing at his expense.

'I will if you go out with me, Evans,' said James quickly. 'Go on ... go out with me and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again.' Behind him, the Impediment Jinx was wearing off. Snape was beginning to inch towards his fallen wand, spitting out soapsuds as he crawled. 'I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid,' said Lily.

And here we are again! Lily does not want to be around James!

'Bad luck, Prongs,' said Sirius briskly, and turned back to Snape. 'OI!' But too late; Snape had directed his wand straight at James; there was a flash of light and a gash appeared on the side of James's face, spattering his robes with blood. James whirled about: a second flash of light later, Snape was hanging upside-down in the air, his robes falling over his head to reveal skinny, pallid legs and a pair of greying underpants.

Does this count as a sexual assault? Perhaps. I can understand why some people would interpret it that way. To me it wasn’t intended as sexual, but as pure humiliation; I don’t believe that James intended it any other way either. But as I said, I can understand that, intent or not, there are plenty of people who would consider it that way.

Many people in the small crowd cheered; Sirius, James and Wormtail roared with laughter. Lily, whose furious expression had twitched for an instant as though she was going to smile, said, 'Let him down!'

This is the only time that Lily appears to show even the slightest sign of amusement, and she stops herself instantly and repeats her demands for James to stop. It’s clear she knows that it was mean of her to even be slightly amused, and it’s more important to her that Severus gets left alone.

You’re seriously going to claim that a) Severus would have seen that momentary flicker while being dangled upside down with his robes over his head, and b) even if he had, this means he would think she’s a bitch and deserves to be called slurs?

At no point did Lily laugh at what he was going through, and at NO point did she display any sign to him that she thought it was okay.

This is not her acting dirty, tainted or subhuman; she’s a sixteen-year-old girl trying to stand up for a friend who’s being publicly humiliated!

'Certainly,' said James and he jerked his wand upwards; Snape fell into a crumpled heap on the ground. Disentangling himself from his robes he got quickly to his feet, wand up, but Sirius said, 'Petrificus Totalus!' and Snape keeled over again, rigid as a board. 'LEAVE HIM ALONE!' Lily shouted. She had her own wand out now. James and Sirius eyed it warily. 'Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you,' said James earnestly. 'Take the curse off him, then!'

And now she’s even willing to get into a fight to try to help him, on her own, against two of the most popular and capable boys in the school!

James sighed deeply, then turned to Snape and muttered the counter-curse. 'There you go,' he said, as Snape struggled to his feet. 'You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus-- ' 'I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!'

And there we go. After all that, after he’s seen and heard her coming to intervene and doing her damn best to get the bullies off his back, shouting at them and making sure everyone knows how horrible she thinks they’re being, he lashes out at LILY.

Not the two pureblood boys who were actually tormenting him.

The Muggle-born girl who was doing her utmost to stop it happening.

The Muggle-born girl he is supposedly in love with.

He calls her one of the worst slurs in the wizarding world in front of half the school and doesn’t even seem to think about lashing out at the boys who actually hurt him.

Lily blinked. 'Fine,' she said coolly. 'I won't bother in future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, Snivellus.'

Quite frankly, her reaction here is remarkably controlled given what he’s just said about her. If she’s at fault here, it’s for not calling him out for being a disgusting hypocritical racist who’s happy to throw her under the bus to salvage his own ego. If any supposed friend spoke to me that way, they’d be out the fucking door so fast it hit their ass.

She is not obliged to stay friends with him just because he was upset about what he said. She stayed friends with him for a long, long time leading up to this, making excuse anfter excuse for his behavious. I can only praise her for ditching him once she finally realised how bad he actually was for her.

He fucked up. He drove her away. She did not “throw his love away”; she escaped a toxic situation.

This isn’t “people who love each other having a fight”; this is a teenage boy being as spiteful and vicious as he knows how and taking it out on someone who, even from his point of view, did nothing to deserve the way he treated her.

“Mudblood” is not the kind of word one uses accidentally in this scenario. It is, like “ni**er”, a word brought up and used very deliberately to mark out the target as someone worthy of contempt, someone lesser, someone not really human. Do not ever tell me Severus used it by accident.

Yes, he claims he loves her. But if you love someone, do you call them names like that when you fight? I sincerely hope not. I have had horrible fights with my family, but I have never lashed out with names that horrible.

And to address your last couple of sentences, no, “I love you, you disgusting, filthy animal,” is never spoken in the series. But from the context of what we know about Snape and Lily, it is certainly very clear subtext.

I will not respond to any more posts you make on this matter; I have given you more than enough of my time, and any further attempts you make to justify your position will be dismissed as I have clearly pointed out here all the reasons why I refuse to accept your reasoning.

[wokefluff]

Harry Potter and the Resistance: 7 Lessons from Adult re-Reading

“Not again,” was the response I most often heard when asked what I was reading as a child. I would always reply, “Harry Potter” much to the chagrin of my parents, who might have hoped their son would read more than the same 7 books for the majority of his life. If that is their dream, it has hardly been realized at this point. Now 25, I just spent a week re-reading the entire series – a most fruitful endeavor. I learned a ton, remembered all I forgot and came away with a newly shaped perspective on the world around me. Care to learn from my thoughts? Keep reading, and learn how Harry Potter has inspired me to keep my resistance energies strong and focused. The following contains spoilers and assumptions that you are well-versed in the realm – totally not an intro-to-Harry-Potter post, just as a heads up.

1. ACCEPTANCE

Cracking the cover of The Sorcerer’s Stone is an immediate vortex into a world we only wish was a part of our own. Unlike the antagonistic Dursley’s, it is quite easy for the reader to accept the terms of this new magical world and, more noteworthy, the differing lifestyles and cultures of those that reside within it. In this subtle way, J.K. Rowling innately teaches children to view those that may be different than them with a lens of wonder and intrigue. It’s incredibly powerful to create a consciousness in children to celebrate individuality. This sense of wonderment is echoed in our protagonist, connecting him instantly with the reader. We follow Harry through the beginnings of his journey as he learns of his true identity and eventual destiny, all the while adjusting to the notions of who is he meant to be alongside him. Observing Harry’s awakening reminded me of the importance of my path, especially during this “administration.” We must all be reminded in times like this that there is no different or normal or weird. Everyone is individual and why wouldn’t you want it that way? We could all stand to take in a little bit of Harry’s wide-eyed appreciation for those that are potentially unlike him.

2. THE POWER OF WORDS & PERCEPTION

The symbiotic relationship between Ginny Weasley and Tom Riddle’s diary/horcrux was certainly the defining plot of The Chamber of Secrets for me, as an adult reader. I remember being easily swept away by the high action subplots and blood on the walls dramatics in my youth but in my re-reading I was absolutely most horrified by the diary. The way Riddle manipulated Ginny struck a chord with me – highlighting the powerful pull of loneliness and promised companionship. It struck me as an odd parallel between Trump and his loyal voter base. He was able to climb into power on twisted promises based in lies – counting most on those that had felt marginalized in the previous years of progress. Using these methods Trump became very Riddle-like, crafting his own “alternative facts” and perceptions to sway the voters. Unfortunately, there was no Harry or Fawkes to save election day – however Trump/Riddle has certainly been exposed. His treachery has now launched a new and stronger conversation about facts, gaslighting and perspective. We have to try to look on the bright side, right? I mean, Tom Riddle eventually got his so there’s that to look forward to.

3. ALL IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS

Is there any more complete and appropriate representative for “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” than Sirius Black? The poor guy was framed for setting up the murder of his best friends AND the murder of 13 innocent muggles. That’s a hard reputation to overcome, as evidenced in the antics of The Prisoner of Azkaban. We see the dark side of crowd/mob mentality reflected in the warped communal perception of Black. They illustrate the notion that sometimes prejudices are simply inherited and are always unwarranted. It is difficult to make one person change their mind if an entire crowd tells them not to. The real world applications for a lesson like this are innumerable. While they don’t apply to Trump, a man that very clearly showed himself pre-election, I would say this notion most cleanly applies to Bernie Sanders. Initially seen as a hero of a new progressive movement, Bernie went on to do his best to emphasize and exacerbate the internal divisions within the Democratic party. Is he fully responsible for the results of the election? Of course not. But is he all that he seemed to be?

4. THE WORST CAN HAPPEN

Not exactly the lightest of vibes, but realizing that the worst scenario can be played out is a crucial life hurdle. While positivity is undeniably important in maintaining a happy lifestyle and conscious mind, it is not effective if used as a mask. Pretending the worst could never happen not only forces you into an ignorant position, it also leaves you completely unprepared. If we learned anything from The Goblet of Fire it is the importance of observation and preparation. Had anyone noticed the odd tendencies of alleged-Mad Eye, or more closely investigated Barty Crouch Jr. floating in on the Marauder’s Map outcomes could have been very different. Obviously we learned this lesson post-election in The U.S. and I will say it has been unbelievably challenging. The results forced me to question not only the ideas of who I thought were my neighbors but also to accept that sometimes the most awful things do happen. Life on this Earth is all about facing challenges and improving yourself, so a solid takeaway from this book is to treat the worst happening as a new challenge. A new way to learn, kick some ass and, hopefully, change the world.

5. THE IMPORTANCE OF INTERNAL STRUGGLE

Reading The Order of the Phoenix was actually a deep internal struggle of my own once upon a time. It is the longest and the most internally themed – most of the action occurs within Harry’s mind. I was not down for that vibe in high school. More magic, less whining I remember thinking. However, in venturing back to Harry’s mind, I found myself much more engrossed this time around. I had much more experience to relate to in terms of self discovery, so his realizations rang genuine to me – no longer confusing and far-off. I’ve also reached a place in my own journey where I realize that everything is internal and about yourself. The only relationship that truly matters is between you and yourself – that acts as the foundation for all else. Transforming and reflecting on my thoughts alongside Harry reminded me just how important introspection is for growth and improvement as a human being.

6. EVERYONE IS FLAWED

After toying with us for years, J.K. Rowling finally revealed some of the makeup of Severus Snape in The Half Blood Prince. Instantly unlikable, Snape was a kind of passive antagonist throughout the series. I felt vindicated for always mistrusting his character and allegiance after he murdered Dumbledore – but obviously we know the behind the scenes of that decision. That being said, in the space of the sixth story alone, Snape was certainly marked a villain. Interestingly enough, and certainly not by accident, Rowling also utilized this journey to explore Snape’s roots. By observing the traumas of Snape’s childhood, the reader is able to relate to him on a more human level. We’ve all felt excluded and simply odd at a certain point or with a certain crowd – this empathy makes Snape a more rounded character. That’s when it hit me – we’re all Snape. We’re all flawed with parts that are good and parts that are evil. The balance is what matters. Then I began to think of those I love that may or may not have voted for Trump. They’re flawed too, just as I am and Snape is. It would be rash to write someone off entirely based on one action or vote, however it is important to understand their thinking at the time. Knowing what we know now, of course Snape can be forgiven and understood – perhaps this is possible also for former Trumpers too? TBD.

7. FIGHTING FOR WHAT’S RIGHT IS WORTH IT

I mean, could there be a more perfect conclusion to the series than The Deathly Hallows. By perfect I do not mean that nobody died or there were no sad parts, I mean it was a totally fitting end to a wild ride. I believe in this seventh saga is where Rowling hit her hardest point home – fight for what is right. Like should-be-President Hillary Clinton famously said on the most depressing morning in my personal history, “never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it.” Harry didn’t even question walking into his own death for the results of the greater good. In that way he’s the ultimate inspiration because what is more important than the good of the many? Like Harry we have to use this time to commit ourselves more deeply to the causes and fights important to us. The evils of the world want to divide us and want to stop the progress that was made over the last 8 years. We won’t let them.

All in all, re-reading was even more enjoyable and beneficial than the first (17) time(s) I read Harry Potter in my youth. I had real adult experiences to draw from and a framework to understand the social commentary dripping from every page. J.K. Rowling is one of the brightest lights this world has to offer and undeniably a true genius. She is exactly the type of strong, intelligent and persuasive woman that we must elevate and learn from during times like this. Keep resisting and stay in the lumos, my friends.

The post Harry Potter and the Resistance: 7 Lessons from Adult re-Reading appeared first on WokeFluff.

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