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embrassemoi · 3 years

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Surrounded by the Moon and Stars ✷ 26

Pairings: Sirius B, Remus L, [F]Reader CW: Language, prejudice against MB, blood/injury, sexism A/N: as always, unbeta'd

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Chapter 26: Human Anatomy

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May 4th, 1976

Following the Mary incident, there were two Death Eater attacks in Birmingham plastered all over the Daily prophet now clutched in everyone’s hand. Y/N watched from the sidelines as Lily gripped her copy so strongly that it began to tear where her fingernails were.

Distantly, she could hear Marlene and Dorcas attempting to distract them by fighting over the last Chocolate Frog. Y/N ignored them, her mood dampened from the news and played with her food idly. That was until she felt Sirius nudge her underneath the table, quietly placing the now stolen Chocolate Frog into her hand.

It was clear that she and Sirius reached a standstill. Ever since his outburst, he hadn’t been avoiding her — they still snuck around — but his witty and snarky comments were gone. He’d become more reclusive, shy, even, and couldn’t keep eye contact for too long. A few times, she even caught him entertaining other women and it caused her to stiffen up, laugh bitterly and chip away at any logic, reason — manifesting in irritation and resentment.

It was a game of cat and mouse and Y/N was the cat. So the gesture was surprising. She took it from him, smiling as she ripped open the package and split it into two, giving him the larger half. He gave a reticent smirk and went back to his desert.

Sirius Black was confusing.

She saw Remus had put down his copy of the prophet, who pressed his lips together to hide his amusement as he looked between the two. His brow rose; she looked anywhere but him.

It was nearing the end of dinner when James finally joined, just coming from his career consultation. He went over to Ravenclaw’s table first, talking admittedly with Emmeline before making his way over. He was uncharacteristically nervous as he sat down beside Y/N.

“Saved you a plate,” Peter greeted. A large plate of spaghetti hovered in front of him. Normally James would’ve dug in within seconds, but instead prodded at a meatball with his fork. Everyone noticed but ignored it.

“What took you so long?”

Sirius grinned. “I bet McGonagall was listing off the Quidditch teams that want him. Which one is it? Appleby? Puddlemere?”

“I call Ballycastle,” Marlene warned, “I want their spot!”

James remained quiet.

“Don’t tell us you’re going to live off your trust fund,” teased Remus, but it had a questioning tone.

James’s gaze flittered to Lily’s paper before he spoke.“They all reached out.”

Everyone gave a loud round of applause and cheers; Y/N ruffled his hair while Peter conjured one of the floating candles to explode into confetti.

“That’s amazing! Congratulations, Prongs! You deserve —” “I’m turning them down, for now.”

Everyone went still, smiles fading and utensils dropping.

Remus was the first to speak. His eyes glossed cautiously around the table before leaning in. “Want to go somewhere a little more private? To talk?”

James took a deep inhale, peering over to Mary’s empty seat. Still shaken up, Mary had been hiding away in her dorm. As Marlene liked to say, she was pulling a sickie, and nobody could blame her. Then James’ eyes strayed towards Y/N.

“I told McGonagall that I’m enlisting once school’s done.”

Peter placed a tentative hand on him, “What did you say?”

“Er… after everything that’s happened…” He took a deep breath, “I’ve been thinking… I don’t want to live in a world where the people I care about are judged — innocent people are being… slaughtered... I can’t — I can’t just sit here and let it happen! And the war won’t end — not unless people are there to fight.”

Lily ripped her newspaper as she snapped, “This isn’t the time for jokes, Potter. You can’t just say that and —”

“I’m not joking,” James states calmly yet firmly. “Quidditch can wait until the wizarding world is safe.”

Nobody spoke until Dumbledore dismissed dinner.

“I said the same to McGonagall,” Sirius added. Everyone’s head whipped towards him.

“Is this a sick plan you two haven’t told me about?” Remus scolded. His voice was laced in something Y/N couldn’t place but teetered on the edge of indignation.

Sirius shook his head. “No. Never mentioned it to him. It’s just… I want to fight people like… my… family.”

The phrase echoed in her head: my family… What did that mean?

“Then that’s what I’ll do too.” Marlene states.

Dorcas whipped her head towards her. “No, you won’t.”

“Potter’s got a point,” Marlene says. “What good will my influence — power and position I’ve got as a Pureblood do if I don’t put it to use? Besides, my brothers have all enlisted already. They help with the Ministry and Dumbledore.”

Y/N and Lily stayed quiet, both shared a look — the first time either made direct eye contact since their fight. It communicated worry and pure dread.

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May 14, 1976

“You pincushion. You’re going to break if you aren’t careful!” She’d been waiting outside the hospital wing for Remus who hobbled his way out with a pink flush.

The Marauders and girls were taking ‘partnering up’ seriously. The Marauders escorted any Muggleborns around the castle at night; James, Peter and Sirius using their blood status while Remus used his height and prefect title as leverage. Even Marlene made sure every first or second year was escorted safely too.

In particular, ever since the mention of enlisting and Mary’s attack, James and Sirius were ruthless — merciless to anyone that showed even the slightest allegiance to the other side. More hexes, jinxs and pranks ensued.

Remus tilted his head as his body shook with quiet laughter. “Just a tumble.”

“Clumsy giant.”

He ignored her, going to take her bag off her shoulder to carry.

“Now you’ve lost it — give it.”

“I’m fine,” he grunted, going to dangle the bag so she wouldn’t be able to take it. But Remus staggered forward a bit, having to stop walking and balance himself out. Y/N noticed, sighing as she linked her arm with Remus’, letting him lean against her for support as they walked.

He did seem peaky, she worried, he waved it off. The Marauders did say he’s ill…

“Are we picking up Butterbeer?”

“Mary and Marlene are getting it.”

“Oh… Mary… How is she?”

Y/N sighed as they turned and left through a secret passageway and into the yard. Today was the last Quidditch game of the year. “I’m not sure… we’re not exactly close and Marlene refuses to spill.”

“I’m glad she’s… okay — out and about. What about you?”

“Me?” She turned to Remus.

“No one has tried to hurt you, have they?”

“Nope.” Best to lie.

Remus loosen up at that. His head tilted to hear her clearer, body hunched over as if he’s trying to get closer.

His soft messy curls were strewn messily around like he just rolled out of bed. “Do tell if someone does. I know you can defend yourself but we all need to be there for each other.”

“Of course. You too?” He hummed.

The hot sun beat down against them as sweat began to form on her forehead. Remus wore a light sweater — just by looking at him, he made her feel uncomfortably warm.

“You’re not hot?” Y/N asked.

He dropped his head a bit and a sudden far-away look filled his eyes. “Erm — not really. I just prefer it.”

She instantly felt bad from his reaction. “Well, at least you look dashing.”

He nodded, smiling before making grabby hands. Y/N glanced sideways, already fishing out her cassette player from her pocket.

“All you do is use me for this thing.” “Hush.”

They walked together down the path, arm in arm, over bumps and dips. Both laughing at the other before Y/N noticed a fairly large ball of black trailing on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It was as tall as Flitwick and as long as Marlene’s broom.

Y/N felt herself stop, pulling away from Remus who was about to open his mouth. A rush of excitement filled her. “Is that a dog?!” She already let go of Remus, motioning him over as she dashed off into its direction.

The dog must’ve heard her footsteps before she came to a stop in front of it. Now, slowly walking up, her hand stuck out and waited for the dog to approach.

“Hi there, buddy!” She smiled largely as the dog sniffed her. There was the slightest hesitation before its head rubbed against her hand, moving happily as its tail wagged. Its head bowed, presenting its neck as a sign of submission. It even nudged her. She rubbed the side of the dog’s body. Its fur was shaggy, matted with a bit of dirt which had her nose wrinkled.

Remus eventually appears, watching them but once the dog notices him, it goes rigid, pulling away from Y/N, even going as far to growl at her. Although it’s weak, she still rips her hands away as the dog keeps its gaze on Remus.

“No! Please come back?”

The dog stopped growling, letting her pet him again but bared its teeth to Remus. Remus doesn’t seem to care as he watches the scene intently, a smirk crosses.

“I didn’t know Hogwarts had a dog!” Y/N scratches behind its ears. “You must be Kettleburn’s, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, he’s been around,” said Remus.

“Oh yeah? You seem like such a good boy!” Y/N then stands, picking up a stick before waving it, throwing it far. The dog bolts to retrieve it. “Why didn’t you tell me there was a dog?”

“I’m more of a cat person.”

The dog comes dashing back, stick in mouth as it runs circles around her. She goes to bend down, fingers gliding through its matted fur before getting caught. “You’re kind of disgusting.”

The dog looks at her, its eyes adjusting to open wider while Remus bursts out laughing. Y/N glances at him, questioning his unusual behaviour before reaching to grab the stick from its mouth. She transfigured it into a dog brush and went to work.

"... Kettleburn has really been neglecting you."

Remus’ hands go up to wipe his happy tears before dropping down to sit beside her. She can even feel his body shake with laughter. “You sure you don’t want to leave this mutt be?”

The dog growls at him, Y/N giggles.

“I don’t think he likes you much.”

His face level with the dog. “Don’t like him either.” The dog barks and Remus practically howls.

“So…” he has a sly smirk that tells her he’s up to no good. The light catches onto his eyes, glinting with golden specs like they were infused in him. “You and Padfoot have been chummy lately.”

The wagging tail halts and Y/N stops combing as they both stare at him. The dog pulls away from her grasp and growls at Remus. This time, it’s guttural and deep, sounding like a warning and losing its playful tone.

“I — ugh —” She falters, mentally slapping herself. “We’ve been getting along since Oats. Studying, spending time together… I got tired of fighting.”

“Mmm, I bet.” His voice is condescending. “I heard you want to be a Healer.”

“Yeah?”

“Say then, do you guys study —” The dog goes and bites down on his jeans, tugging harshly, drawing her attention but Remus continues to study her.

“Look at me, not at him,’” he says cockily. He leans in a challenging manner that has her flustered. He repeats, “Do you guys study… I don’t know… human anatomy?”

The dog barks madly — so loud that they’re getting stares from passing students. Y/N swore she could’ve died there while Remus bellows with laughter: his question answered. She bolted up, remaining silent and marched away from him who hobbled behind her, yelling out false apologies.

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Gryffindor, unsurprisingly, had another amazing win against Ravenclaw. James had improved as Captain drastically — confident with his position and team. Marlene improved too, she was almost as fast as the Snitch itself and never let a single Bludger slip past her while James scored goal after goal.

She and Remus still stuck by each other, walking down the rickety wooden stands as they observed the sea of red robes swarming the pitch. James pulled Emmeline into a kiss before he was holstered up by the Gryffindor team. Sirius was cheering him on while Peter was missing, having to leave right after the match for detention.

James then glanced back, along with Marlene, who waved while the two students grinned widely, sticking their thumbs up, fist-pumping in the air as a sign of congratulations.

But it wasn’t long until trouble came their way. Y/N wasn’t sure how Remus knew, but he suddenly went mute, his head perked up and swivelled around. In a fluid motion, he grabbed her wrist, pulling her flush against him; his hand wrapped around her protectively as he shifted his body to cover her and then bucked down; just before a Bludger came barreling their way.

Remus whipped his wand out, pointing at the Bludger that was hurling back, turning it into a balloon.

“The fuck?” Remus breathed out.

From where they stood, they were obscured by the shadows and wooden stands. The crowd couldn’t see them and the Gryffindor team was too occupied to notice. Cackling sounded from one of the exits. It was Crabble, Snape and two other Slytherin’s she didn’t know the names of.

“How cute! Ickle Lupin protecting his Muggle bitch!” Crabble said, flashing a dark smile.

“What did you call me!” Y/N shrieked, still in Remus’ hold before he finally let go.

“Watch what you’re saying,” Remus cautioned, voice dropping low. He stood tall as waves of authority emitted from him while he held his wand tightly, stepping in front of her. His broad shoulders squared. “Thirty points from Slytherin. You don’t want detention, do you?”

“That’s all you got? House points?” Snape taunted. “Loopy Lupin — acting tough in front of his girl.”

“Heard she’s fucking Potter,” the Slytherin said. He had blue eyes and dirty-blond hair.

“I heard differently,” the other nameless Slytherin blurted. He licked his lips in a snake-like motion. “Have you seen the way she and Black are around each other so much now? A Mudblood and a whore!”

She drew her wand.

“Aw, trembling itty, bitty baby!”

“That’s enough, Barty,” drawled Snape. Barty held his wand, toying with it before he lifted his wand, ready to cast a spell.

“Expelliarmus!” Remus shouted at him. Barty’s wand flew from his grasp but wasn’t lucky before the unnamed boy shouted, “Levicorpus!”

Instantly, Remus was grabbed by the ankle, hauled up into the air. Y/N saw him wince, all his belongings thudding to the grass.

“Aw, Rosier,” Snape said coolly. He took a few steps in a twitchy manner, “Stop playing with the poor mutt!”

But before the Slytherins had an opportunity, Y/N shot a spell at Remus, floating him down gently while Snape and Crabble directed a spell at her.

“Protego!” She cried as an invisible shield expanded between her, Remus and the Slytherins. The barrier was so powerful that they all stumbled as Remus went to retrieve his wand.

“Lupin can’t even protect himself! You had to let a girl do it too!” Crabble shouted.

“A Mudblood and a Half-breed! A match made in heaven.”

Angrily, Remus stood, a black ball of light shot out from the tip of his wand at the feet of the Slytherins. A small boom rumbled the ground, sparks of fire emitting but not enough to start a fire. They jumped back and Snape threw another spell.

“Ad sectis!”

Y/N barely had time to block it as a gust of wind knocked them back. It wasn’t a spell she knew of. Remus sent another hex at them but was blocked.

“Dangerous bloke, that Loopy Lupin,” Snape jeered, directing his words at Y/N while the Slytherins laughed. “You ought to be careful who you run around with. Let alone your boyfriend.”

“Shut up!” Remus shouted. “Shut the fuck up!”

“Where do you think he goes every month?” Snape taunted before backing up from them, rejoining the other Slytherins who left, all bellowing, “AHH-WOOOO!”

The reverberation from Remus’ spell drew the Marauder’s attention as they arrived. James saw them, marching up side by side with Emmeline and Sirius. He wore a large smile as he pressed several kisses to the side of Emmeline’s head. “Whiskers! Moony! Did you see that score!”

Remus and Y/N breathed in deeply, dazed and shocked. Remus stumbled over but she clutched his arm to keep him upright.

“Don’t listen to anything they said,” implored Remus.

“Wait… James,” Emmeline said, “I don’t think somethings right.”

“Moony, you’re awfully pale…”

“Shit! Are you guys bleeding?”

Y/N’s eye travelled to a large slash that travelled up Remus’ jaw and leg, blood seeping out at an alarming rate but the cut was shallow. Y/N in turn only then realized the damp liquid was now travelling down her arm. Her arm was also slashed, not deep, but the amount of blood was concerning.

All their voices began chatting over the other as the girls arrived by now; Dorcas rushed up to Y/N, prying Remus off of her as James and Sirius took Remus and sat them on a nearby bench.

“— happened?”

“— Y/N — Remus —”

“Lift your leg —”

“— get to the wing —”

“Merlin’s beard!” Lily shouted. “Give them some space!” Her eyes were on Remus but shifted to Y/N. Hesitantly, Lily walked up to her and bent down in front of her but still kept her distance.

“Okay, we need to get you patched up.” James stood, looping an arm around Remus and stood up.

Marlene rubbed her shoulder while Lily spoke, both James and Sirius doing the same for Remus. “Would you like us to come?”

She shook her head as the girls reluctantly left, but clutched Lily’s wrist as she stood. In a small voice, she asked, “Stay?”

Lily nodded her head and bid her goodbyes with the girls.

“Right, okay. I’ll see you later?” James said to Emmeline who pressed another quick peck to her cheek. Instead of the hospital wing, Remus asked, and was very adamant, about being brought to his dorm where they hauled in Y/N and Lily.

Sirius managed to get the bleeding to stop and worked on Remus before going to patch up Y/N who sat in James’ bed. The curtains were drawn just close enough for them not to be seen while Lily and James feverishly spoke to Remus.

“Ah!” She hissed as Sirius wrapped her arm carefully. Her free hand went to grip on his arm and he looked up at her apologetically.

“M’sorry — and we’re done.” Sirius tosses a quick smile, “You did amazing.” Sirius placed his material to the side and went to hold her hand gently. “What happened? Don’t you dare tell me a lie because this is serious.”

“I thought you were Sirius.” That joke never got old

Sirius broke out into a grin before it quickly vanished again. “Who did this?” He urged voice hardening yet kind. “Please, trust me.”

And she did.

Y/N reluctantly retold the story. Sirius went stiff. She grabbed his arm to bring his attention back to her. “Don’t do something that’ll make it worse. Don't you dare go looking for revenge. Promise me.”

He nodded his head but looked conflicted. At the same time, James pulled back the curtains; Y/N ripped away.

She looked around the room. “Where’s Lily?” “I told her to leave,” Remus cuts in. “I didn’t think that she would’ve liked to hear about the Snape part.”

Her eyes locked with James who wore the same expression as Sirius; he knew. And so she repeated herself, enunciating every word to the boys. “Don't. You. Dare go looking for revenge.”

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lowritesthings · 4 years

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Resonance

Part 2 of ?? << Previous // Next >>

You’re finishing your day at the Leaf House when it happens. The kids are just stacking freshly-cleaned dishes from supper when Ms Folia drops her coffee mug in the next room. It shatters and you dash over to keep the younger kids away from the shards of porcelain, but she grabs your arm and points to the old television. It’s tucked into a corner and has terrible resolution, but you make out signs of chaos and fire.

“It’s a bombing,” Folia tells you in an unsteady voice. “Someone bombed Mako Reactor One.”

Your lungs seem to freeze, and that chill spreads through your whole body. You watch as Shinra reacts exactly the way Cloud had predicted they would, and now you notice how the response is just a little too quick to be spontaneous.

Is Biggs okay? You force yourself to take a breath, then another one. He had Tifa’s ex-SOLDIER friend with him...they’ll be alright. All of them.

You’re trying to convince yourself, but you know that you won’t be able to stop worrying until you see the whole team.

The kids are watching the TV now too, and some of the younger ones are crying. This probably has more to do with the fear on the adult’s faces than the images on the screen, as scary as those are. You finish cleaning up the broken mug and gather your personal belongings, intending to run to the train platform and head straight to Seventh Heaven...but you check the urge. You showing up half-panicked isn’t going to help anything. You’ll only scare Marlene and amplify Tifa’s own fears. The team probably won’t be home for a while yet. There’s time to finish your duties here before you make your way to the Sector Seven undercity.

“This is just...how could anyone do something like this?” Folia asks one a dazed, horrified tone. She’s followed you into the kitchen. You have to bite back your knee-jerk reaction, which is of course to defend Avalanche and its operatives. Instead you shake your head and spread your hands.

“I guess they felt there was no other way,” you say. Folia makes a face but before she can argue, you press on: “We should get the kids ready for bed. I think it’s best if we keep the routine as normal as possible, especially for the younger ones. It will help them feel safe.”

“Yeah,” Folia says as the wisdom of the suggestion sinks in. “Yeah, okay. Let’s gather them up.”

It seems to take forever to get the kids settled in bed and to turn over with the night staff. The house mother lives there full time, but most of the rest of the employees switch off between day and night shift. You’re just grateful that this week, you’re on day shift. You collect your bag, glad that you’d been carrying your first aid kit with you ever since the Shinra raid on Seventh Heaven. Then you make your way to the train station and hope your anxiety won’t seem out of place.

Once the train stops in the Sector Seven slums, you make your way through crowds of shell-shocked residents gathered around grainy TV screens. All of the conversation you overhear is about the bombings, and you concentrate on your breathing to soothe your own fears. You keep picturing your friends dead or badly injured, so the breathing exercises help keep you grounded. Letting your imagination run wild won’t help anyone.

The stairs up to the bar are empty, so you push open the door to the building. You can hear Barret talking to Marlene through the wall. He seems to be trying to convince her to go to bed. He sounds calm enough, which helps to convince you that nothing is catastrophically wrong with anyone on the team. You set your bag down and glance around for Tifa, but she isn’t here.

Ten minutes later, Barret emerges from Marlene’s room. He catches sight of you and your medical bag.

“Hey girl,” he says. “Guess you heard?”

You laugh, though it still sounds a little tense. “I think all of Midgar heard,” you reply. Your fingers tighten in the fabric of your bag as you ask, “The team?”

“I think Jessie’s leg is gonna need your tender love and care,” he tells you, but a huge grin is spreading across his face. He clenches his fist in a gesture of victory. “Other than that, we got a couple scrapes and burns, but it’s Shinra that got hurt bad today!”

You can’t help but smile back at his unbridled enthusiasm. Relief floods through you as you realize that none of your friends are badly injured.

“I better swing by Jessie’s and take a look at her leg. Where’s Tifa?”

“She took her pet merc up to Stargazer Heights.” Barret is behind the bar, digging out a cold beer. “You need a place to stay?”

You nod. The last train has come and gone, and you don’t fancy your chances against the monsters between here and home, at least not without backup.

“Well, if Tifa can’t put you up, you can crash in the hideout. You know how to get in?”

You nod. Wedge had shown you once after you’d had to go down there to help Barret with a broken leg.

“Good, guess I’ll see you in the mornin’. Thanks for seeing to Jessie.” Barrett’s hand comes down on the top of your head and he ruffles your hair. “We owe ya.”

You wave that off. “No talk of debts, okay? Just keep bringing everyone home safe. See you tomorrow.”

You head out into the night. There are less people out now, but the ones that are stay clumped into groups. You get a suspicious look or two, but you’re familiar enough around town that no one bothers you.

Even though it’s out of your way, you swing by Bigg’s house before heading to Jessie’s. The light blazing through the curtains comforts you. No doubt he’s in there getting cleaned up and having a quick meal. You long to knock, but it’s late and Jessie’s the one that needs help.

Just as you continue toward Jessie’s, his door opens and Biggs steps out onto the doorstep. A blush immediately floods your cheeks—you would get caught lingering around his house like a creep. But when he spots you, a smile spreads over his face.

“Making your rounds?” he asks, gesturing to your bag.

“I—yeah, I was just heading to Jessie’s. Barret said she hurt her leg.”

“I’ll walk you.” He locks his door and comes to your side. His hair is still damp from his shower and he smells deliciously clean against the backdrop of polluted air. “I was just gonna go see if Tifa has anything edible at the bar. I’m not much of a cook and the pantry is a bit bare.”

“There might be food, but if you don’t hurry Barret will drink all the beer,” you tell him. He laughs, and you can tell his mood is jubilant. The mission had been a success and he’d survived—you bet he’s feeling far too amped to go to sleep.

“Guy probably has a tab taller than he is,” he quips, and you grin at the mental image of Tifa unrolling a huge list of Barret’s debts to the bar.

“He’s lucky Tifa’s such a softie,” you agree. “Is Wedge okay?”

“At home snuggled up with his cats,” Biggs confirms with a nod. “He didn’t even get singed.”

“And you?”

He stops and spreads his arms so you can see for yourself that he’s not hurt. “What, you think I’d be the weak link? Oh ye of little faith.”

You laugh and shove him a little. “A bomb went off in your vicinity. I’m allowed to be concerned.”

“Well in that case...I’m honored,” he says, and his smile softens into something more personal. Your pulse throbs and you automatically run through calming techniques before you say something embarrassing.

You continue walking to Jessie’s. Your pace is slow, almost meandering, because you know when you get there he’ll say goodnight and head to the bar. It’s rare you get moments alone with him and you’re savoring this one, but a guilty corner of your mind reminds you that your other friend is hurt and you should really get a move on.

“Sticking around until morning?” Biggs asks as you reach Jessie’s.

“No trains,” you explain. “I’m going to take advantage of Tifa’s hospitality if she isn’t too busy with Cloud. If she is, I’ll crash at the hideout.”

“Ah, good. Glad you’ve got a place to stay. You know, if you ever need to—my door is always open.” He rubs at the back of his neck, flustered in a way you’ve rarely seen him before. He almost seems bashful. “Just an option. It’s more comfortable than the hideout, anyway. I’ll even be a gentleman and take the couch.”

You grin at him. How can someone be so sexy and so adorable at the same time? “Thanks. I'll keep it in mind.”

You both look over at Jessie’s door. It’s time to say goodnight, and you let out a long, internal sigh. You wish moments like this could last longer or come around more often.

“Well…” You turn back to Biggs. “Thanks for walking me. I’ll see you soon?”

“Count on it,” he tells you. He hesitates, almost seems to lean toward you...and then he checks himself, gives you a little wave, and turns to jog off toward the bar. You watch him disappear into the darkness for a moment, then you spin around and lift your hand to knock on Jessie’s door.

It swings open before you make contact. Jessie is standing in the doorway with a shit-eating grin plastered on her face. She rolls her eyes at you when you meet her gaze. “Could you two be any more pathetic? All the longing glances and lingering goodbyes...it’s cavity-inducing.”

You try not to stick your tongue out at her...and fail. You also fail to stop the blush that creeps into your cheeks. “If you want decent painkillers, you’ll be nice,” you warn her, and she laughs and steps aside so you can come in.

Her leg isn’t too bad. There’s a deep, tender bruise and some bloody scrapes, but nothing requiring any serious treatment. You clean the wounds, wrap her leg to keep any swelling down, and hand her some painkillers and ice packs.

“You know the drill,” you say to her as you pack up your supplies. “Elevate it, try not to put weight on it if you can avoid it, and don’t over ice it.”

“You got it, doc.” Jessie leans back in her bed and stretches her arms up over her head. “So, about Biggs—”

“Oh no,” you say, waving your hand in front of you to ward her off. “None of that. You blew up a mako reactor tonight, that’s got to be more interesting than my love life.”

“You’d think...but you’re just so cute when you blush, I can’t help it!”

“Jessie, please? I really don’t want to be teased tonight. I know I’m being ridiculous.” You sigh. “I can’t seem to help it.”

“Would it help if I told you I think he’s interested too?”

You groan even as your hopes shoot sky high. “No,” you say firmly. “Now take your pills and get some rest. Maybe you can give me a hard time tomorrow.”

She winks at you. “Oh, that’s happening for sure. Come to the bar and have a drink with us. We’ve still got to celebrate.”

“I’ll think about it,” you tell her, but you both know you‘ll turn up. You wish her goodnight and head out, turning toward Stargazer Heights. It’s time for you to get some rest as well.

——

Waking up at Tifa’s had been a bit disorienting, but she heads out early so you get the tiny bathroom to yourself. There’d been some sort of commotion during the night and Tifa had rushed out, but it quieted down quickly and you had decided not to ask.

You step out into the sunshine and catch sight of Cloud making his way down the road to the bar. Perhaps you should too; Biggs isn’t the only one with an empty pantry. Tifa must eat most of her meals at the bar or nearby shops.

You head down the stairs but only make it a few steps before Marle calls out to you.

“What do you know about this Cloud guy?” she asks you.

“Next to nothing,” you admit, “but Tifa’s known him a long time.”

“Hmmm…” Marle’s lips purse. “Should we trust him with her?”

You remember his quiet but very serious threat to the Shinra squad leader. “He seems pretty protective of her.”

“But will he break her heart?” Marle demands. “He seems like the nomadic type. I don’t want her to count on him only for him to disappear one night without so much as a see you later.”

You frown a little. “I guess we’ll find out,” you say slowly, “but I think he’s going to stick around, at least for now.”

You bid the old lady goodbye and continue down the lane toward the bar, but change your mind at the last minute. Instead, you grab breakfast from a nearby shop and decide to head back to Sector Five early. That way no one will protest too much when you cut out early to join the gang for a celebratory drink later.

You start for the train station. Just as you round the corner, you spot Wedge heading in the opposite direction. You smile as he approaches: his friendly, cheerful attitude is always welcome.

“Hey, morning! I didn’t know you were in our neighborhood,” he says to you as he jogs over.

“Good morning and congratulations,” you counter, smiling at the look of pride that comes over his face. “You didn’t get hurt, did you?”

He pats his chest and shakes his head. “Me? No way, nothing even came close.”

You smile wider at his bravado. “Where are you headed so early?”

“Oh, me and Biggs are on watch today. I just hope it's not too busy, I’m still running on empty from yesterday. If you’re gonna be around, you should stop by.”

It’s a tempting thought, but you shake your head. “I’ve got to head back to Five, but I’ll be at the bar tonight to celebrate. Would you mind letting Tifa know I made it home okay when you see her?”

“Sure thing, pal!” Wedge gives you a thumbs up and then a quick hug. You have to jog the rest of the way to the station to make your train, but it’s worth it. It’s hard to feel anything but happy and comfortable around Wedge, and that’s not a bad way to start the day.

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#biggs x reader #cloud x tifa #ff7 biggs #cloti #ff7 remake #ff7r #fic update #fic: resonance #lo writes things

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draqcnheartstrinq · 5 years

Text

Hate That I Want You (Part 3)

Sirius Black x Pure-blood!Slytherin!Reader

Summary: At first it’s hate, then it’s confusion. It grows into a healthy amount of curiosity until it turns into hate once more. But not towards each other, more towards the idea of wanting what you’ve tried to avoid all your life.

Words: 4.4k

Warnings: angst, bad family relationships, mild fighting?

Note: So very sorry for basically not updating this story for over two months. That’s just bad even for my standards I hope you enjoy this one though!

HTIWY Masterpost | Part 4

James loves his quidditch, everyone knows it and nobody is surprised when they see him on the quidditch pitch flying along the field. There’s no match planned, no training on the schedule and still Potter is there on his broom whilst his friends sit in a group on the stands.

Occasionally Remus, Lily, Marlene and Sirius have a go at flying themselves. They’re all good, but of course nothing like quidditch king James Potter.

When the five of them are up in the air, the others cheer and watch from down below. Other students sit in the stands too, watching them or just discussing some of their classes, catching up or admiring the Hogwarts Grounds.

The quidditch pitch isn’t only James’ favourite spot, but also that from many others.

You heard a few fellow Slytherins whispering in the library about how amazing it was to just sit there, reflect, watch the clouds go by and do nothing but breathe. Whenever they felt threatened by the copious amounts of assignments and tests they would go there to unwind and relax.

And so, you were now walking up the wooden stairs, towards the seats and the beautiful autumn sky, trying to finally find a way to ease your mind.

You brought a book, one that you had read a thousand times before but couldn’t get enough of and clutched it between your arms until you found a place to get comfortable. The stands weren’t anything fancy but they gave off a cosy pine smell, the sky wasn’t clear but the sun shone through the clouds in a most beautiful way and most of all… Even though you were alone, you didn’t feel like it.

Clusters of friends were scattered around the pitch, chattering along and filling the air with happiness. In a place like this you could never feel alone because of all the friendly faces around. It didn’t matter what name you were given or the blood you were born with. The quidditch pitch was a safe place and thanks to that one Slytherin in the library you now knew that.

Focussing all your attention on the book in your hands, reading every word as if it was the first time, you didn’t realise the giggles zooming through the air above your head were ones you knew. Until the person flew so close you could basically feel the breeze flying over you and messing your hair around.

Lily was trying her very best to lose James who desperately chased her, in a friendly attempt of course. Her laugh pierced the air and brought a smile to many others’ lips. Even to yours without realising it. James, of course, was much faster on his broom and caught up with her in less than thirty seconds. He reached out grabbing her arm in the air, making Lily scream out of joy and also maybe a little because she didn’t like losing.

Her scream brought your attention upwards, away from your book and towards the duo who hysterically laughed at one another. After a while Lily averted her attention to you too and waved with such a happy smile, you felt your heart grow. You waved back, a little more shy than her but at least just as joyful.

As Lily turned her attention back on flying alongside James, you averted your eyes higher up. Remus was there chatting with Marlene about who knows what, both several feet in the air and dangling their legs off the sides. You couldn’t possibly imagine looking that relaxed while sitting on a hovering stick, being a little scared of heights yourself, but they didn’t seem to mind one bit.

Realising you were staring by now you turned back towards your book but something seemed off.

Not the book, there wasn’t a problem with the book.

You felt off, like something was trying to catch your attention but you couldn’t make out what.

Your eyes roamed back over the stands, catching a few Hufflepuffs sitting in a circle, a Gryffindor and a Ravenclaw holding hands whilst whispering to each other. You smiled at that, not caring if it made you look like a lunatic.

But what kept you on the edge of your seat like this? What was making you this uncomfortable you could barely concentrate on one single word of your forgotten page?

After several seconds you realised, much to your displeasure, that the “what” was actually a “who”.

There he was once again, with his long messy black hair and his piercing grey eyes, looking right at you as if it was his favourite occupation. Honestly, as of lately you couldn’t tell if Sirius did it on purpose or not. Contrary to the other years at Hogwarts when he used to only give you attention in the form of barking remarks and swift hateful glances, now for almost a week he had seeked you out in any crowd. You did the same to him you had to admit, otherwise you wouldn’t even have know about his prolonged stares.

His looks weren’t friendly, but they weren’t full of hatred anymore either. They were more like a gaze, as if he was looking at you but at the same time right through you, lost in thought.

Right now, even as you were looking right into his eyes, it was as if he didn’t realise what he was doing. His head didn’t turn or even move an inch to the left or right, his eyebrows didn’t knot together like they did up until a week ago…

Something had been going on inside his head and obviously you couldn’t complain. If Sirius could finally stop holding a grudge against you, purely for the family you were born in, then anyone could right?

Or so you were trying to tell yourself. But you were smarter than to keep on hoping it would get better, it never did in the last six years.

*~*~*~*~*~*

His mood had been swinging from left to right, from cheery and upbeat to plain out irritated by the most insignificant matters.

James talked too loud, Peter chewed with his mouth open, Marlene’s high pitched laugh pierced his ears, professor Mcgonagall called him out for every joke he pulled no matter how subtle they were,... Nothing was going his way.

On top of all of this, there seemed to be an itch in his head he wasn’t able to scratch.

Everywhere Sirius went he saw two particularly unwanted eyes reading a book or concentrating on ink spilling out of the tip of a quill. Green accented robes and an obnoxiously neat skirt flowed around knee length socks, also accented by that same deep colour of emerald green. It’s the kind smile, though, that makes him hate it all more. It’s out of character, those lips aren’t supposed to look that innocent and friendly.

Sirius hasn’t been himself ever since the encounter with you after potions class. He’s tense, stressed even and he doesn’t get why. Was it because you called him out on his obvious ignorance? Maybe because the words that left your mouth that day were both filled with obvious anger but also hurt?

You had genuinely sounded hurt, Sirius now realises that. You looked at him as if he had grown two heads, opening your mouth just slightly before closing it. The corners of your lips turned downwards and your eyes lost the sparkle of that always present wit. Your shoulders had slumped down and you made yourself as tiny as you could without being too obvious about it.

The conversation still rang inside his head every time he so much as caught a glance of your silhouette.

“You honestly still believe I stand for what my family stands for?”

Your voice was so small, you had almost whispered it and if his attention wasn’t solely focussed on you he would have probably missed what you were saying.

He knows his reaction to your fragile demeanour made you stand up straight again. As if seeing his perplexed eyes was enough to remember what you were dealing with. He could see it in the way you pulled your books against your chest, how you twisted your face into a scowl.

That angry look, that was the one he recognised.

It made him snap back at you, like he always did, trying to put you back into place. But your answers…

They weren’t what he expected, they weren’t what he wanted to hear. His plan was to confront you, to finally get the hateful words to spill from your mouth and proof his friends wrong, so he could tell them how wrong they were about trusting and defending you.

“Do your family’s actions reflect onto you? Have you ever considered I could be in the same bloody situation as you are, or is the hate towards Slytherins just so damn huge it doesn’t even matter what my opinions are? You’re just going to keep accusing me of sh*t I’ve never done, or better, never even said!

“I never shared their love for our bloodstatus let alone my whole opinion on who’s worthy and who is not! It may be a surprise to you, Black”, you made sure to spit out his surname as if it was a pawn on a chessboard, “but I consider someone worthy as soon as they step foot in this world, from there on it’s up to themselves if they deserve to walk among the others or not.”

Those definitely weren’t the words he expected.

That night wasn’t one where sleep found him quickly. Questions kept sliding through his mind, all basically asking the same damn thing.

“Some people don’t wish to be disowned and thrown on the streets, Sirius! Of all people I would think you would be the most understanding of that!”

Was he wrong all along?

Now he sat at dinner, three weeks later, with a fake smile plastered on his lips. Irritation, rage, frustration,... Confusion.

All those years he had known you, walking along with your parents at King’s Cross, not once had you stepped out of line with them. When they grimaced at muggleborns, you turned your head the other way. When your parents talked to his you made sure to get as far away as possible. He always held that against you, believing you wanted to get away because he, a friend of muggleborns, was there right next to them.

Were you just scared?

He had heard stories from his parents, from before he ran away and left them for good.

“The (Y/L/N)s had a particular encounter with a mudblood, Walburga, have you heard?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“Don’t worry though, they put the vile bastard in it’s place.”

He remembers conversations like that too vividly, vulgar and sickening details following suit.

How you hadn’t left after all that your family had done, said and inflicted upon innocents… It remains a mystery to him. It’s why he always saw you as one of them. You didn’t seem bothered or even fazed by all of it. You never talked back, never gave a kick.

When someone asked you about it you just ignored the question and went on with your day.

How could you? Why would you?

Sirius questions everything, sitting there whilst shoving potatoes around his plate.

You remain a mystery he can’t seem to solve.

*~*~*~*~*~*

When the owls come flying through the Great Hall the next morning, you expect to see grandma’s tiny brown one to land in front of you, lay down a letter and ask for some petting. It’s routine by now and it’s what keeps you grounded, makes you realise there’s someone outside of these school walls that still cares.

This time that doesn’t happen, though. You see other people receiving The Daily Prophet, others get letters from their parents and family at home.

Grandma’s owl never appears.

Instead you see a black one, as dark as the nights on Hogwarts grounds, fly towards you. It lands gracefully and for several seconds you can’t help but stare.

This isn’t what’s supposed to happen, grandma never forgets to write.

Even though this isn’t the owl you expected, you still recognise the stark yellow eyes that contrast with the deep feathers. It’s your family’s owl.

The loud screech of the bird takes you back to where you are, momentarily pushing down the panic away from your head. It settles deep, making you feel nauseous as you take the letter from the sharp beak. Your owl flies away without any hesitation.

Other people around you have been alerted by the loud noise coming from your place as well. Of course they have to keep staring, making your nerves even more prominent. You do as you do best, though. You plaster a fake not bothered look on your face, lay down the letter next to your plate and keep eating like nothing had happened, like your stomach wasn’t refusing every bite you took.

As you tried to calm down, over time you were able to make out the details of the letter. The handwriting of your mother on the front, the big black seal known to be your family’s,...

And then you noticed the obvious red colour of the envelope.

The letter was a Howler. You were definitely not opening that in front of everyone, it was staying shut until you were in your room, alone, with no roommates to disturb you.

For the remaining time of breakfast you kept your eyes on your plate, anxiously thinking about what could be written inside. You dreaded having to listen to your mother’s voice, most probably screaming at you for some unknown reason.

But most importantly, why didn’t grandma write?

Why did it have to be your parents instead?

Lost inside your own thoughts, leaving breakfast on auto-pilot and with a blank stare in your eyes, you just forgot

You didn’t even realise you left the Howler right next to your still half full plate.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Sirius saw everything, never diverting his eyes away from you for more than ten seconds.

He saw your hopeful smile when the owls started flying in, saw how that smile slowly turned into a frown the longer you waited. Your lips had fully fallen open when a black owl landed in front of you.

He saw your hesitation, heard the loud shriek that made you jump in your seat.

He saw the red envelope.

And there it was again, that unbothered look you always glued onto your face, the one that makes him angry every single time he sees it.

He always addressed it to you actually not caring, but now he just couldn’t. You had looked so devastated and almost terrified just a second ago.

Were you hiding what you were feeling?

Was that what that look was? You just didn’t want others to see what kept going on inside that confusing head of yours?

That would be exactly what Slytherins were good at. Sirius now sees the sly move, realises how good you are at lying. Not with words but with your demeanour.

He definitely doesn’t miss you leaving, head down shoulders slumped because even you aren’t that good at telling lies. He spots the red paper still on the table, left and forgotten about.

There’s a big decision now, right in front of him. Is he stooping that low?

“You okay there, Sirius? You’ve been awfully quiet”, Lily remarks and everyone turns their heads his way.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just not been feeling too well since waking up.”

“Have you guys gone partying without us again?” Marlene asks with a pout hanging off her lips, big round puppy eyes following not long after.

“We wouldn’t dare”, Peter answers before everyone chuckles at the thought of that happening last time. The girls had been mad for weeks.

“I’m done here, I’m full as can be”, Remus says after a while, standing up and pushing off from the table, “If anyone feels like joining me before having to leave for class-”

He can’t even finish his sentence before basically everyone at the table follows his lead and leaves their plates for what they are. All except Sirius.

“Aren’t you coming, mate?”

“I’m going to talk to my brother first, it’s been a while”, Sirius responds, not lifting his gaze from the Slytherin table. Unbeknown to his friends it’s not because his brother is sat there.

“As you wish. Let’s get going, guys!”

*~*~*~*~*~*

Just when you’re about to turn another corner, you snap out of it.

Emptiness is refilled by panic and you’re running before you’ve even realised you were standing still.

The letter! How could you forget to take the stupid letter?!

Your heart beats like crazy and your breathing is deep and irregular. How much more could go wrong today? It’s only half past eight in the morning, classes haven’t started yet and here you are, running your lungs out of your body because of a Howler your family left you.

When the entrance of The Great Hall comes into sight you finally let yourself slow down. Still your legs move in an obvious fast pace, stressed and rigid with your hands fidgeting in front of your stomach.

Just as you reach the grand doorway Sirius Black walks through. You see him hesitate for a second, locks eyes before he quickly gathers himself and walks the other direction. You couldn’t care less at this moment. He’s not what’s concerning you right now. It’s that bloody red letter right next to your plate.

You enter, scan the Slytherin table trying to recall the exact place you sat at.

Penny still sits there, the fifth year Slytherin you know from spending too much time in the library. She sat not too far away from where you had been eating only minutes ago.

As you pass seat after seat, even passing the one you could swear you had been seated, you didn’t see a single letter. No Daily Prophets, no regular white letters,...

Not your very prominent red letter.

“No”, you breathe out. No one hears you.

“Please, it has to be here.” This time you speak louder.

“Everything okay, (Y/N)?”

You look up, silently thanking Merlin for this sweet girl, Penny, for at least caring enough to check on you. You’re quite sure you look like you’ve seen a ghost, figuratively speaking of course.

“No, I-I’m sorry for bothering but have you seen an envelope lying right at this spot? A red one?”

You wait as she looks down to where your letter should’ve been. The longer she takes the more you lose hope.

It’s been several seconds now, you’re almost sure she’s going to ignore your question and get on with her day but then she speaks up as if she only just realised what you asked.

“The Howler you received?”

Of course she knew you received a Howler, Penny was known for being an observant girl, still you had slightly hoped she didn’t notice. You had hoped no one noticed. Obviously that wasn’t the case.

“Yes, Penny, the Howler”, you answer slightly annoyed she had to bring it up in front of her friends. She seems to realise her mistake, though, and looks at you with apology written across her face.

“Actually, yeah we saw”, Duncan who sits in front of the girl answers, “Sirius Black picked it up and left.”

That’s when everything starts to spin. The words have barely reached your ears but you know enough, he’s going to ruin you. This is going to ruin everything.

You swear tears are starting to form in your eyes but rapid blinks keep them from rolling down. You can’t lose it now, not in front of everyone. The breathy voice that leaves your lips is a dead giveaway of what is going through your head right now, though.

“And you just let him take it?” It’s barely a whisper, but you know Penny heard well enough. She turns her head down to her plate, guilt prominently edged onto her features.

“We thought he was going to bring it to you”, Duncan answers, also slightly taken aback by your demeanor.

You shake your head, not believing what’s happening still. “Oh yeah, because we all know Sirius Black is such a good friend of mine.”

The response is filled with frustration and most probably a lot of obvious resentment, but you can’t get yourself to care about that right now. You’re running again, this time out of The Great Hall, trying to catch up with the guy who has your whole future on this school right between his fingers.

*~*~*~*~*~*

He feels wrong. The red envelope clutched in his right hand is burning into his skin. This doesn’t feel right, no matter who the piece of paper belongs to. Why did he do it? Is he so desperate to make your life hell? Is he so set on proving you’re a horrible person?

Sirius doesn’t have the answers to his own questions, he regrets taking the letter and it’s now stressing him out.

This isn’t about doing the right thing anymore. Now he is being the horrible person out of the two of you. He debates walking back to your spot and laying it right where he had picked it up, but it was too late for that. Everyone would’ve seen what he did, if he went back they would only confront him about it.

The more distance he puts between himself and The Great Hall the worse he feels. He takes steps by two, looking down at the red letter in his hand with your name elegantly written on the front. It’s definitely a Howler from your parents, he recognises the black stamp that seals the lid from the many letters your family had sent to his parents.

Why would they send you a Howler?

Maybe they were going to praise you? That could be it, they were only trying to brag about how good of a Slytherin their precious daughter is. Amazing grades, never out of line, always proper and prim,...

But the more he thinks about it the more he starts to question whether his friends were right.

Howlers weren’t sent by loving parents, they were always sent by people who had some bone to pick. Sirius remembers the time Martha, a Hufflepuff, received a Howler from her grandparents, yelling at her because apparently if she didn’t start studying for her OWLs she would be in big trouble when she got back home.

Or that time when Kyle tried to pull a prank on one of the professors but injured a student instead, his parents were livid.

Sirius stops walking, now taking that bloody letter into both hands, staring at it as if he wanted to burn it right then and there.

Anger fills his head as he focuses on your mother’s handwriting. What could your parents possibly be humiliating you for? There was not a chance you were doing anything wrong, anything against their standards. You studied hard, got amazing grades, were good at pretty much anything that involved magic.

The fact he was becoming concerned for you, a (Y/L/N), confuses him to no end and it makes him even more livid.

Nothing made sense anymore.

“Sirius Black!”

Your loud voice echoed through the halls like never before. Not once has Sirius ever heard you scream in all those years he knew you. It takes him back to reality, out of his thoughts and into the world where he can feel nothing but loathing at your mere presence.

After the initial shock he turns around, a prominent glare is fixed onto his face.

And there you are, getting closer with every second, walking with loud steps but still as gracious as ever.

Before he realises it you’re right in front of him, eyes wide and deep breaths filling the air between you. You’re seething, staring daggers at him. If looks could kill, Sirius would be lying on the ground with a cut open throat right now.

“If you give it back I won’t speak a word about this to anyone, Black.”

He expected you to make a scene, but you surprised him with an almost gentle voice, a whisper so no one else could hear but him. It’s a big contrast to your body language.

Your outstretched hand is patiently waiting for him to lay the letter on your palm.

“No can do, (Y/L/N).”

He turns away from you, trying to walk away as quickly as possible but you don’t let him.

Sirius feels his hair being tugged backwards, his scalp stinging from the pull. You know it’s a low blow, almost childish if this was any other situation but you’re so angry, so furious, so full of hatred right now that it’s the only thing that makes you feel satisfied.

His guard is down as he is too distracted and startled by the move you just pulled, literally, that it’s easy for you to grab for the envelope in his hand.

When he feels the paper slipping between his fingers he grips on tight, refusing to let go. He’s in too deep by now, he’s not giving up on that letter.

Sirius never meant for you to be humiliated, as nasty as he could be sometimes, never once did it cross his mind to harass or demoralize you in front of everyone at school. His hatred was private, he made sure only you knew about his distaste. Yes, others picked up on the grudge between you two after a while but never was anything said in full public view.

Never, absolutely never did he mean for this to get so far.

One of you must have pulled too hard, maybe the stamp was weak from the beginning,...

When the black seal broke away from the envelope there wasn’t enough time to realise what was happening.

Before either of you could react your mother’s loud voice filled the hallways and you were there in the middle of everyone listening.

Sirius stumbled back out of pure shock, eyes wide pleading for something to stop this.

Had he gone too far?

Yes, he did. He realised it as soon as he saw your face.

Your tears dripped and hit the floor right between your feet.

TAGLIST:

@iamthepenguinwhosearseisonfire @wangmangagavroche @songforhema @fortisfiliae @the-apple-princess @youlook-likehell @oliviaharddyy @slytherpuffgal @supermassiveblackhope @this-silent-area @madmaiden2890 @simply-hamilton @cindywayne @aikeia @coffeeismylife28 @remusandsiriusxreader @evolutionofkatep

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fangirlbase · 3 years

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The Howl of the Moon - Remus Lupin

Summary:

After a terrible accident in the battle at the Ministry in 1995, Hermione Granger wins a one-way ticket to the past. Unable to go back to his time, his only chance for survival is to adapt to the late 70s and get on with his life, interfering as little as possible so that the future does not fall apart.

However, everything goes downhill when Remus John Lupine starts to notice too much the new girl who clearly wanted to go unnoticed by Hogwarts.

Warnings: mature

2.The one with the haircut

The December twenty-first had finally arrived, and as most of the castle boarded the carriages for the express, Hermione finished packing her bag with what few belongings she had. Minerva had informed the previous day that they would not spend the holiday at the castle that year.

- Finally I have someone to take to my sister-in-law's party, I won't miss this chance for anything!

It had been the excuse the teacher had given when Hermione said she didn't want to bother, but she suspected that all that teacher's insistence had more to do with her getting used to her now tutor's house and mainly to get out of the environment a little bit. of familiar was not that of her memories, her friends wouldn't be there to celebrate the holidays with her… They hadn't even been born yet.

Although the express left at 11am from Hogsmeade, they didn't go home until around 5pm. As a householder, Minerva had to extend her hours, accommodating the few Gryffindor students who had stayed that holiday, finishing correcting some jobs before summoning Hermione to her office to leave.

Though they hadn't left the castle, the older Witch had noticed the sad way the student had watched her housemates leaving through the school gates - the same sad way she'd been looking at the common room at that moment. She knew she couldn't ask questions about the future, but the intensity in the teenager's gaze told her that she had left much-loved companions in the future.

- Let's go dear? - Minerva spoke calmly, wanting to dispel the sadness that had taken over the girl.

Hermione just confirmed, taking her small suitcase as she would leave her trunk and most of her materials and belongings in the dormitory, so she followed the tutor to her office, entering the fireplace and feeling the heat take over her body while the teacher holding her a strong hand threw the flu powder and the emerald green flames surrounded them. Holding a sneeze, the teenager cleaned herself and left the dark environment, gasping when she noticed the room they were in: there were no walls, just bookcases and more bookcases! A coffee table was surrounded by two sofas and an armchair that, despite being slightly dusty, could be cleaned in a matter of seconds with the correct spell.

- I knew you'd like it. - Minerva decreed with a little smile on her face. - Your room is upstairs, third door on the left. Then I'll introduce you to the rest of the house, it's modest but comfortable. I hope you are happy here.

The young woman nodded, still a little embarrassed to be in the house of the teacher she most admired at school, and thus holding her curiosity to explore the titles that Minerva had in her personal collection, she went in the direction that the tutor indicated. The room really wasn't very big, but it wasn't small either, in the girl's opinion it was the ideal size for her to feel good. As she had brought few things, not even bothering to empty her suitcase, but she knew that the reluctance was more in the fact that she didn't want to be there, even with all the hospitality of the teacher, the idea of spending Christmas away from her family and friend was disheartening.

Hermione overcame the anguish of never knowing how the battle in the ministry ended after the first few months she woke up at that time, but at times like this she couldn't help wondering: How were Harry and Ron? If they Neville, Luna and Gina were safe celebrating Christmas at the Burrow… "Stop!" He scolded himself, after all, it's no use getting caught up in questions that she would never have answers to. She was a practical witch and knew she had no talent for guessing the future.

Minerva gave a little tour of the house showing Hermione where were all the things she would need and said she was free to read whatever she wanted in the library, so the teacher left the youngest alone to explore the new environment until the time of dinner, when he revealed that the next day the two would go shopping - that even after the teenager's several refusals, she did not listen. As her tutor, she needed to provide the best for her, meaning clothes and a proper life. And besides that, the teacher needed to finish her Christmas shopping, after all she still needed some presents for her nephews.

Even uncomfortable, Hermione couldn't have been more grateful for the witch's zeal. Even though she had to carry countless bags the next afternoon, she couldn't hold back her tears as she confessed that Minerva had always been her favorite teacher - getting a pinch and a comforting hug in return.

However, it was during Christmas dinner that Hermione revealed to her tutor her true intentions for the year. The two were sitting at a long table in the rectory in the Caithness suburb that had been the late Reverend Presbyterian Robert McGonagall and his wife Isobel, Minerva's country and his two younger brothers Malcom and Robert Junior. With the death of their father, Malcon and his wife Brenda - a Hufflepuff witch - who was pregnant with their second child and the couple's little eldest Isla came to live with Isobel who, finally being surrounded by magic, found herself completely happy.

- But your hair, dear? - Questioned Minerva.

- Women usually cut their hair after important decisions in their life, right? It wasn't just a milestone that I came back here, but if I need to camouflage myself, I need to change my look. I've always been known for the size of my teeth and voluminous hair, I can't let them recognize me until the moment of disappearance.

- But your teeth aren't big! My friend Timothy's they are, but Mom said I can't say they look like a rabbit because that will make him sad and then he won't want to play Quidditch with me anymore. - Commented the little Max, nickname of Maxwell son of Robert Junior and of the wife Aileen who tried uselessly to wipe the son's chubby cheeks that were smeared with the turkey sauce with a napkin.

- I've fixed this before. Hermione smiled. - But my hair is a problem. There are people in that dangerous school, who unfortunately knew me….

- You don't need to say anything else, I understand.

- Oh dear, it will be a shame to cut, your hair is beautiful! - Brenda stated that she had complimented the teen's curls as soon as they were introduced.

- Honey, the girl is right. - Defended Malcon while finishing cutting the vegetables for the daughter who was sitting between her parents. - These are dangerous times, dark wizards have grown a lot, going unnoticed is always better than attracting unwanted attention.

- And how do you want to do it? - Asked the teacher.

- I need to look as different as possible, but I don't want to mess with the color.

- The solution then would be a pixie cut! - Aileen suggested excited, both for having managed to clean her son with a spell and mainly because she loved fashion. - I saw in "The American Charmer" that the cut is the latest trend among American witches!

- Do you help me?

And so Christmas Eve had ended at the McGonagalls' house: with Minerva, the two sisters-in-law, and Hermione having fun with the arduous task of a haircut, while Isobel dozed in the armchair near the fireplace and the lighted Christmas tree, she I should keep an eye on the children Isla and Max who play with the gifts they had won since the men had decided it was worth it to face the winter cold to smoke a cigar on the porch.

***

It was amazing how even after a long and tiring seven-hour journey Sirius didn't stop still. After trying to flirt with six girls on the way between the carriages and the Great Hall, he still had the strength to try one more time in the Gryffindor Hall! With all five friends nicely settled on the rug in front of the fireplace - forgetting for the time being the position of monitors - they saw from a box when a girl of medium height, head high and nose upturned, walked past the Fat Lady painting. With her hair short to her ears, tight pants and a sweater that outlined her body beautifully, she carried a book to her breasts, in a body language that maybe hiding was a good idea where she tried to be brave.

As she passed them, Sirius couldn't help himself.

- Pretty girl…. Well done girl! Beautiful girl…. - He exclaimed his compliments out loud, in an attempt to get her attention.

Instead of flushed cheeks, he only received a questioning look, along with contempt. I mean, at least hers, since her pickup line had hit another girl who came through the frame right behind.

- Sirius! Marlene McKinnon threw herself into her lap, believing it was for her.

Engrossed in his friends' jokes with Marlene and Sirius who had a true love-hate relationship since one hour they were flirting and the next they were cursing, Remus was more shocked by what he saw in front of him. That was the newbie! What would have happened to that change? What had she done? What she….

- What did she do with her hair? Remus asked indignantly, still watching the girl climb the dorm stairs.

- Who she? - James found his friend's focus strange, turning his body to look in the direction his friend indicated.

- The new one!

- That was Granger?! - James turned even more, losing sight of her.

- Did you do something, Lilly? Remus asked, trying to figure out the reason for the sudden change.

- Absolutely nothing! I haven't talked to her yet.

- Excellent! Even the newcomer rejected me! Is it not possible to be with anyone else in this school?! Sirius complained indignantly.

- McKinnon doesn't seem to agree with that, Padfoot…. - Peter laughed at his friend, who had just managed to get rid of the brunette.

Did I mention that they had a strange love-hate relationship? Well they did! She had already made her feelings for him more than clear, but he didn't reciprocate in the same way - resulting in awkward moments like this.

- What did she do with her hair…? Remus asked quietly, drawing Sirius' attention.

- Dude, it's just a haircut!

- But it had to be so radical?! I didn't even recognize her!

- Why? Have you been watching the newcomer?

- Of course not!

"But that's true, Sirius had never tried anything with her."

- Her luck ran out, unfortunately…. Lilly teased the brunette, receiving an ugly finger.

"Did you have to start seeing her, Potter?" Sirius implied.

- My luck was that you didn't try anything with her either.

- Hey! I respect my friends' girls!

If Sirius had sung the fledgling once without even knowing it was her, would he do it again on purpose? Remus didn't like to think about that possibility for some time, a fact that was proven two days later, when Padfoot did just that.

- Want help loading your books? - Sirius asked in a wooden face, intercepting her on the way to the second greenhouse where the sixth year students would have a herbology class and the seventh year students would leave.

He didn't even have the pleasure of an answer, only receiving a freezing look as he passed him and turned his eyes to the notepaper in his hand.

"Hard woman…" Sirius snorted, laughing at the situation.

- Do you really want to insist on that, Padfoot? She seems to have made it very clear that she doesn't want to be disturbed. James hugged his friend by the shoulder as they walked back to the castle for their next class.

- I don't know, I think it would be an excellent pastime for the end of the school year, and maybe I can get a kiss?

- I think a kick in your balls is more likely! - Peter exclaimed with a laugh.

- And you, Remus? What do you think? Sirius asked his friend who was frowning, following the girl with his eyes.

- Why did she cut her hair….?

- What is this fixation for hair that you developed, huh?!

That would go on for the rest of the day, to the point where Sirius lost his temper right after dinner.

- Still thinking about her hair? James nudged his friend, who was looking at the girl curled up in the same chair as before, reading a book of advanced potions.

- Couldn't she have decreased just a little bit? Did I need all this change?

- ENOUGH! Sirius got annoyed. - Let's end this now! THIS IS THE TENTH TIME YOU HAVE GROUNDED ABOUT THAT IDIOT HAIR!

- THERE WASN'T IDIOT!

Sirius didn't give a damn about his friend, marching over to the fledgling.

- This is going to be a good one. James barked, settling himself better to watch the show.

Hermione so far hadn't noticed the altered voices in the hall, only taking her attention from her book when she saw a pair of legs stop right in front of her. When he realized it was Sirius, he rolled his eyes internally because he thought it was another line from the boy. She made a mental note of one day making a point of complaining to Harry about how his godfather was a pain in the ass.

- Can I help you with anything? - She tried to be polite at least once.

- He can. A friend asked me to ask you….

- Is it serious? I would like to be alone if you don't impose….

- REALLY! James asked me to ask you why Remus just STOP TALKING ABOUT it, but….

- Can't you summarize?

- Why did you cut your hair?

Hermione was silent, shock consuming her existence. Was this serious? In the midst of all that fuss (which she had already done in fourth year when Harry and Ron were fighting), was the subject of her hair? And why on earth would that be Professor Lupin's concern?

With a frown of confusion she simply stated:

- This only concerns me.

- No, no, no…. You may have no appreciation for anyone else at this school, but I care a lot about my sanity and my ears! One reason is all I need!

Hermione glanced sideways at the fireplace, raising her eyebrow as she noticed Lupin, Potter and Pettigrew staring at them expectantly.

- Well, if your friend wants to know so much, he should come and ask himself, and not send a homing pigeon.

And ignoring Sirius, Hermione turned her attention back to her book, hoping to find out if that crazy hair was true. Sirius huffed in annoyance, returning to the couch and dropping to the floor, rubbing his temples.

- And then?! Remus asked boldly, forgetting to show disinterest.

- If you want to know, you will have to go there and ask yourself!

- Hey, did you stop asking? - James was surprised.

- No, that was her answer. But she didn't seem very able to answer you, to be honest. What animal bit her?

- Probably a dog. - Peter joked, receiving a pillow in the face.

_***_

It was the next morning that Minerva McGonagall had intercepted Remus on his way out of the transfiguration class, asking for a moment to talk alone. Already preparing to hear some lecture about his friends who had been caught last night for trying to smuggle sweet pies from the kitchen to the dorm, Remus thought of the best possible excuse for what they had done, but he had no idea, they actually they weren't even supposed to be caught since they were wearing the Marauder's Map and James' Invisibility Cloak, but it was true that the cloak was already getting small for three so Remus had stayed behind.

- Sorry, Professor, but I'm sure it wasn't James and Sirius' intention!

Minerva shook her head first, then laughed at her student's lost expression.

- It's nothing related to them, Mr. Lupin, but it's good to know that something is coming, the last event with the theft of sweet pies was a bit comical. I asked you to stay a little longer because I need to talk to you about a very important subject, regarding the transfiguration classes.

- Did something happen?

- Yes and no. I've noticed that several fifth and sixth graders have had various difficulties with crucial elements of the transfiguration, and I don't know why they're afraid to come and ask me for help. I thought about it and talked to Headmaster Dumbledore and we decided to open tutoring hours for students to ask questions with other students selected by me. There will be three groups: from the first to the third, fourth and fifth, and sixth and seventh. As I know of your tribulations with NEWTs, I would like you to help me with the sixth and seventh grades.

- I… Wow. I would love! But… I'm afraid of not being efficient or being able to help during that period….

- You will not be alone, you will have another person monitoring with you. Can we schedule twice a week then? Twice in an hour or once in two hours?

- I prefer twice, if it's not bothersome for the other monitor. By the way, who will it be?

- Jean Granger.

Remus blinked a few times in confusion. Who the hell was Jean? He only knew one Granger, but that wasn't her name.

- Jean, teacher? - He took a chance.

Minerva glanced at the door, to make sure they were alone before asking him to secrecy.

- I believe you remember what you heard that day in my office, before Christmas. I cannot give too many details, that concerns her, but it was necessary to change her name.

Remus blinked his eyes hastily. Was she in that much danger?

"Just ask, idiot" - Moony showed his point, being ignored.

- I see… Have you talked to her about monitoring?

- We talked about it over Christmas and she is more than willing to help with tutoring. You will be amazed at the potential of that young woman. - Minerva hid a smile, suspecting that an approach between the two would be beneficial for both.

***

As agreed, every Tuesday and Thursday, from 5 pm to 6 pm, Remus and Jean were to appear in the transfiguration room to offer tutoring to their sixth and seventh year classmates. It would certainly take some time for a living soul to appear, so it was more than crucial that they did not remain in an awkward silence in the meantime. Not wanting to be late on the first day, Remus dropped out of arithmancy class as soon as it ended, not paying much attention to what Lilly had come to ask him. Even after trying not to be late, as soon as he opened the living room door he found Jean sitting on top of her desk, her legs bent like a lotus flower, reading a book.

He walked over and cleared his throat, but the girl was immersed in her own bubble. Risking a good afternoon, he at least managed to get her to respond to the greeting more automatically than consciously. Ashamed of his existence in a place where he clearly wasn't welcome, Remus sat at his usual table - which surprisingly was right next to the one she was at - pulling out his Arithmancy notebook and doing some calculations to pass the time. It must have been at least half an hour before he noticed a male voice in the room.

Your own voice.

- I also like Hogwarts, a story.

Hermione stopped her reading and straightened up, wondering if Lupine had really spoken to her. She risked turning to him and when she saw that he was looking at her, she deduced that she was.

- Not everyone agrees with you.

- I thought you were homeschooled...

- And I was, but knowledge is never too much.

- Is this your first time reading the book?

"Idiot, isn't it kind of obvious that she's read it before?" Moony rolled his eyes at Remus' lack of social skills.

- Actually, seventy-third.

Remus widened his eyes at that.

- You're kidding, aren't you?

- No. Reading it has always been kind of soothing to me since I was eleven. Whenever I needed to be alone or for company, he was the one I turned to. Hermione didn't see any harm in telling him that, she loved talking about books.

Besides, he seemed to be more baffled than she was.

- This gives an average reading of 10,428 times a year. What happened for you to spend more time reading it than…

- Did you manage to do that in your head?! Hermione deviated from the main topic.

- You do not?

- 10.42857142857143 would be the exact average. ” She replied with a smug smile.

"Is she a human counting machine?"

- Do you also do arithmancy?

- I tried to advance the advanced class, but the teacher did not trust my skills even with my NOMS grades, she said that it would be better for me to follow the normal flow and only do it when I was in seventh grade. Is this today's duty? - She asked craning her neck, not holding back with curiosity.

Remus just held out his notebook, being shocked at how sharp the gears in the witch's brain were at work. It was obvious he didn't complain when she pulled out a quill and fixed some numbers, verifying that she had found the errors. If she was so happy doing seventh grade exercises, he wouldn't be the one to complain and stop her from doing so.

I mean, he had already done a lot of that for his friends, someone could once do their duty for him, right?

He couldn't say exactly when, but at some point he approached her table, starting to resolve issues together for hours explaining why her resolution would not be possible with reality, but she insisted on hypothetical arguments for them to be used that he did not understand. The more he explained she replied, going so far as to create calculations and scribbles in her notebook explaining her point. She had been distracted by tracing the trajectory of an alternate spell, allowing him to just watch her.

"The long hair was more beautiful" - Moony complained, making Remus agree.

- Can I ask you something? - He asked embarrassed.

- You just asked.

Remus rolled his eyes, not believing that she really had made that old joke.

- Why did you cut your hair?

He didn't like the disbelieving laugh he got, along with a shocked look.

- I thought Black was making fun of me when he asked me that and blamed you, but…. You are really asking me this!

- I admit that I went a little overboard with my reflections on your motives, but it's only because I don't like extreme, sudden or sudden changes!

He hated being a man one second and being a wolf the next.

"HEY!"

Hermione was silent for a while just staring at him, to the point that Remus wished he were an ostrich to stick his head into the ground in shame. Why did he have to worry so much about a damn hair?!

- Do you know the witness protection program?

- I think I've heard about it somewhere ... - Remus remembered the several times he was forced to move so that the neighbors wouldn't realize that he was always sick near the full moon because of his transformations.

- I decided since the ministry forced me to change so many things, changing my hair would be the least and well, it would help with everything to go unnoticed. Until the last half semester they were trying to solve my… case, but with no result they decided that it was best to give me a new identity and since I don't think I was noticed here, the name won't make much difference. Professor McGonagall already warned you that my name is now Jean, and well… I think you already know that I live with the professor because she is my nice Tutor and now that I've cut my hair. End.

- I preferred it long… - He blurted out, blushing then.

"Long hair is good to play with"

- Me either. Hermione agreed with him, returning to her wistful bubble.

Nervous that he had done something stupid, Remus despaired, but was saved by the bell. In the next minute the alarm that sounded at 6 pm rang out, summoning everyone to dinner.

- Since no one showed up…. Want company to the Salon? - He let go, trying to redeem himself.

Hermione thought for a while, packing her bag and accepting the offer. They walked in silence to the Gryffindor table, nodding their heads off. Remus had barely sat down on the bench when he was bombarded by questions from his home's redheaded monitor.

- Did she just greet you, Remus?

- Yea…?

- Why? They were talking?

- Remus said he had someone else on prefect with him. Was her? - James interjected.

- Yes.

- And did you talk anything or just coexist in silence because she still refuses to interact with anyone?

- We talked a few things.

- Did you by any chance ask about her hair? James took it off with his face, while Sirius and Peter sat at the table.

- That hair thing again? Sirius whimpered.

- I asked, but I won't tell.

Everyone else opened their mouths in shock. Had he really asked something so personal to someone who didn't even know of his existence?!

- You didn't disturb us for three days to just be quiet!

Remus just shrugged, indicating that no more words would come out of his mouth as he smirked and went back to drinking his pumpkin juice.

#remione #sirius x remus #remus lupin #sirius x remus x hermione #sirius black #Hermione Granger #marauders #travel time #back in time #time turner #werewolf

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