#oh also kids by pup is from a marauders fic too

[ashercries23]

did i scream when i got my Vundabar spotify wrapped message and he said they’re putting out new music? yes. yes i did.

also the way that i got into three of my top artists bc of marauders, and all of my top songs were of bands i was introduced to during this year. this god forsaken fandom has taken over my whole like /pos

[professor-riddikulus]

On a Clear Night - Ch 11

Professor-Riddikulus is proud to present, Chapter 11 of OaCN – Haven’t read any of this madness yet? Start from the beginning!

Excerpt: “Harry and Sirius spent the last few days of holiday going through all of Sirius' old records, laughing at the music that the Marauders used to listen to. Harry might not have shared Sirius' love of punk music to the extent that Sirius hoped, but he did learn some mean air-guitar moves, and Remus almost broke a rib laughing at the two of them rocketing around the living room and jumping from the furniture. And Remus wasn't merely a spectator, he and Sirius had left Harry speechless with embarrassment when they performed their lip-synced performance of Bowie's 'Starman' (which of course Sirius had taken as a personal anthem back in their younger days).”

Rated M - Romance/Angst - Remus/Sirius Words: 41,357

There’s something to be said for starting at the beginning. No? Okay, well you’re just a rebel without a cause. On to the fic!

"Oh my fucking god." Sirius groaned, running his hands slowly and delicately over the curves of the dark leather seat on the motorbike, stars in his eyes. Remus chuckled to himself softly, if Sirius could love him half as much as he loved that bike...well he knew that would never happen. Nothing came between Sirius and the bike. But he'd take a close second.

"God I was fucking incomplete without you, baby" Sirius was practically purring to the bike.

"Okay, Pads are you talking to the bike now?" This was getting a little ridiculous, Sirius was, at least superficially, a grown man.

Sirius shot him a glare, which was far less effective considering he had his cheek pressed against the side of the motorbike, making him look a bit like an angry chipmunk, "You don't understand the relationship we have."

"Okay, okay," Remus restrained himself from rolling his eyes again or he was going to get a headache from the number of times he had done so in the last hour or so, "Here's the key, she's all yours again."

Remus thought for a moment that Sirius might cry as he took the key from Remus. I can't believe I'm giving this damn thing back to him. He's a menace. But Remus couldn't help it. The two of them were meant to be together, and after all, the bike had just been sitting in the storage locker for years, it was better that someone get some enjoyment out of the thing. He'd never understand the appeal but he could also never say no to Sirius. They were planning to go through the rest of the effects they had stored in the storage locker soon, maybe get out Sirius' old records for Harry, but Sirius couldn't wait until then to get the bike back. They were incomplete without one another.

"Come on Moony let's take her back to Grimmauld."

"I don't think we should vanish the bike back to Grimmauld Place Sirius, you could actually crush someone."

But Sirius had a sly smile on his lips. He reached into a small box next to the motorbike and pulled out a two black helmets, one with a pawprint airbrushed on the back, the other with a crescent moon.

"No, no no I don't think so" Remus protested, backing a few steps away, "No one has been on that thing in years, it needs a tuneup at the very least or…"

"Hey we won't know what's wrong with it unless we giver her a spin."

"Oh yeah that's a great way of testing it - with our LIVES."

"What's life without a little risk, eh Moony?" Sirius flashed his canines in a signature smirk.

"You know I hate riding…" Remus ran a hand through his hair, "I'm not a fan."

"Come ON Moons," Sirius pleaded, "she's not going to hurt you and it's been ages. Would I really put you in danger?"

Remus nearly laughed, he could think, actually, of more instances of Sirius putting the both of them in danger than not. He raised his eyebrows and looked at Sirius, his rebel in a leather jacket.

"Okay," Sirius laughed, "Maybe the wrong question to ask, but come on. It's been ages. Live a little."

Remus took the helmet from Sirius and wiped the dust out of the inside before putting it on his head, "I think it's more likely that I'm going to die a little."

But Sirius wasn't listening. He was already happily wheeling the bike out of the storage locker and checking her over like a nervous parent reunited with a child they hadn't seen in some time. Remus almost expected Sirius to start asking the motorbike if it had been eating enough or washing behind its ears. Remus closed and locked the storage shed behind them, praying that there would be something just slightly wrong with the bike after all its years there and that they could apparate home like safe, sane people instead of riding some half-Muggle deathtrap.

But before Remus knew it Sirius had somehow magically got the thing running again - Remus found himself straddling the humming bike and wrapping his arms securely around Sirius' waist.

"We are not flying this thing until you get it looked over, Black." Remus yelled over the sound of the engine, "Don't even fucking think about it. I will never touch you sexually again."

Sirius cracked up laughing, "Touch me sexually?! What?! Who talks like that Moony? You spent too much time as a professor."

Remus knocked him in the stomach, "Shut up! You know exactly what I mean."

Sirius waved this concern away, "Okay okay Moons, I promise no flying. Just relax."

And they were off, the wind rushing around them as Sirius pulled the bike into the street, his heart thundering so hard with excitement that Remus could hear it through the leather jacket covering his chest. Remus closed his eyes and held Sirius a little tighter, pressing his face up against the other man's back. He never liked the bike. Something about the feeling of weight and machinery between his legs, darting between cars, the roar of the exploding engine, was more than he could handle. It wasn't nimble and light with the speed and agility of a broomstick, it was a beast of burning metal and exhaust, liable to burn you or buck you off. And that was how he felt about it on the ground. Flying on the thing was a whole other level of crazy, he felt like the heaviness of the object was absurd. Some things were just not simply supposed to fly.

However, he did like the feeling of being pressed against Sirius' back, the soft worn leather of his jacket against Remus' cheek. He liked the feeling of the hard planes of Sirius' chest under his hands, the sturdiness of the other man's torso under his grip. He could admit, if he had to, that there was something comforting about holding on to Sirius this way, something grounding and calming, something that made trips on the death machine at least a bit bearable.

Sirius whooped as he kicked the bike into a higher gear, speeding forward even faster laughing, "FUCK YES MOONY FEEL THAT?" Remus just nodded against Sirius' back and tried not to think how many minutes it was between Camden and Grimmauld Place. Don't look at the ground, don't look at the buildings, don't look at the other cars.

But they made it back to the square without dying and even Remus had to admit that Sirius looked completely and deliciously fuckable letting his hair fall out of the helmet, a pink tinge in his cheeks from the whip of the wind against them. Remus got off the bike first, then leaned over to kiss Sirius deeply.

"Had a good time then?" Sirius teased.

"I rather prefer looking at you on it than being on it myself."

"Is that a double entendre my dear Moons?"

Remus laughed, "Maybe."

They were parked in front of Grimmauld and Sirius was climbing off the bike when the door to the house opened and Harry ran down the front steps with a huge grin on his face, his hair wild and a huge smile on his face.

"Oh my god is that your bike?"

Sirius beamed, "Whose do you think it is pup? Yup, here she is, my firstborn."

"Okay but, when can I have a go?"

Remus rolled his eyes, of course Harry was going to want to get on the death trap, "Harry, Sirius needs to give the bike a once-over, it has been in storage for most of your life."

Sirius put an arm around Harry and steered him towards the house, false-whispering at him "Soon kid. I'm gonna get this fucker tuned up proper and we'll give it a go. Maybe even fly it on holiday over the summer."

Remus trailed after the other two shaking his head and spelling the bike to follow them back to the house. He had a feeling that no matter his protests, his godson would have his own helmet come summer. No doubt the two of them would do exactly what they wanted to do, just as James and Sirius had done. But that was alright, Remus was used to being outnumbered. Sirius opened the door to the house and just before they went into the house Harry looked back at Remus and then at Sirius.

"You two back together now? All done fighting about nothing?" he sassed them, before entering the hallway triumphantly.

Remus' retort was lost as they entered the house, as Mrs. Black was unfortunately still stuck to the wall and so they had to be quiet as they walked slowly past her. Remus had a feeling that Harry had timed this cheeky comment exactly for this reason so that neither of his godfathers could give a quick response, but the need for silence didn't stop Sirius from giving Harry a smart smack to the back of the head.

The next day the three of them cleaned out the storage locker out, and put the Camden flat mostly back together. Remus had decided to stay there for a bit while he and Sirius sorted things out and 'got to know each other again'. Sirius made it known through various long sighs and huffs that he wasn't particularly happy about this arrangement, but as they would spend pretty much everyday with each other at one house or the other he gave up this act after less time than would be normal. Perhaps he realized that Remus was going to need a bit of space, even if it ended up being mostly symbolic.

Harry and Sirius spent the last few days of holiday going through all of Sirius' old records, laughing at the music that the Marauders used to listen to. Harry might not have shared Sirius' love of punk music to the extent that Sirius hoped, but he did learn some mean air-guitar moves, and Remus almost broke a rib laughing at the two of them rocketing around the living room and jumping from the furniture. And Remus wasn't merely a spectator, he and Sirius had left Harry speechless with embarrassment when they performed their lip-synced performance of Bowie's 'Starman' (which of course Sirius had taken as a personal anthem back in their younger days).

They cooked together too, giving Kreacher a few nights off in the last week or so that Harry had off from Hogwarts. Harry was a startlingly good cook, having learned a lot from cooking from the Dursleys for all those years. But Remus took great pleasure in teaching Harry that cooking didn't have to be a chore, teaching him to be creative in his recipes and encouraging him to experiment. Sirius, of course, was all too happy to watch and be the guinea pig who chowed down on the fruits of their labor.

Another day Harry had the bright idea to take Padfoot to a Muggle dog park, where he and Remus earned an incredible amount of respect from the other dog owners when they showed a crowd how Padfoot could not just sit and roll over but respond to highly specific instructions and do math problems by barking out the answer. Padfoot basked in all the attention and Harry tried, mostly successfully, to stop himself from completely dissolving into laughter.

When they went to drop Harry off at the train, they did that together too. Sirius had his arm around Remus' waist as he clapped Harry on the shoulder and told him to make sure he got into some trouble this semester.

"I think everyone will be too focused on the last task of the tournament."

"Exactly," Sirius smirked, "So you'll be able to get away with more."

Remus broke away from Sirius and hugged Harry, "Just be smart about it okay? We're really going to miss you."

Harry laughed, "Don't worry, I've got Hermione on my side. Smartest witch of her age, remember?"

"Thank god for that. Someone has to look after you."

"I'll say," Hermione walked up to them, quickly taking in the way that Sirius leaned just a bit towards Remus, she raised her eyebrows, "It looks like we have a lot to catch up on Harry."

Once Harry was safely back at Hogwarts, Sirius and Remus quickly fell into a routine of lazy mornings and long afternoons in bed. As hesitant as Remus was to live off Sirius' inheritance, he had to admit that there was something appealing about laying around all day. London was a different place with Sirius back in it, it was warmer and brighter (even when the sky was heavy with drizzle). It had been years since Remus was so happy.

They spent each night with one another, either at the Camden flat or at Grimmauld, rediscovering each others' bodies and resurfacing the years of pain, of heartache, of uncertainty with soft words and hot breaths. Remus learned every inch of Sirius' skin, ran his hands hand lips across the crooks of his elbows, the crease between his eyes, the soft skin at the base of his neck. Sirius traced the crooked pathways of Remus' scars, learned the places that tickled, and the places that made Remus gasp. And as they reacquainted themselves with each other's bodies, they reacquainted themselves with each others' hearts. Things would never be the same as before, they weren't the same people. They were worn in places they hadn't been worn before, they had seen things that had changed them. But slowly, cautiously, they began to realize that maybe that was okay. Maybe their scars, inside or out, had strengthened the threads that stretched between them.

So the days easily stretched into weeks, Remus got a job at a nearby Muggle bookstore just to keep himself busy. Sirius still argued that after twelve years in prison he deserved a few restful years and so he spent most of his time hanging around the bookstore bothering Remus, or else working on his bike at the house. Every night they wrote to Harry together. They spent the full moons running the countryside, Padfoot keeping the wolf in check as they explored various deserted and rugged landscapes. Remus' transformations hadn't been this easy since he was at Hogwarts. He woke with little pain and he hadn't had one new scar since Padfoot had been looking out for him. They may have lost a few rabbits along the way but at least Moony largely ignored the deer. Sirius and he wondered aloud if the werewolf did this out of respect and remembrance for Prongs.

When the time came for the last challenge in the Triwizard Tournament, Harry even invited both of them to come watch and cheer on Cedric. They got decked out in their Hogwarts gear and spent an evening under the stars and the flickering lights of the castle watching the champions race to the center of the maze with Harry, Ron and Hermione while simultaneously stuffing their faces with as much caramel popcorn and Chocolate Frogs as they could eat. The crowd was electric, full of children and parents alike from all three schools, chattering away in their native languages, playing music, waving banners. Sirius had complained loudly on the way to the event that he couldn't see why they weren't also doing quidditch this year, but Remus assured him that next year they would be there watching Harry play, and this time Sirius would be sitting in the stands instead of crouching on the ground in the rain as a thoroughly soaked Padfoot.

Harry was overjoyed to see them, his face painted, like many of the other students, with a large Hogwarts 'H'. Remus teased him gently that Harry had to be pretty self-absorbed to paint his own initial on his face when they were supposed to be cheering for Cedric - a joke which Ron jovially joined in on for the duration of the night. When Cedric had hoisted the cup, they shouted themselves hoarse with the kids before the Gryffindors (led by Fred and George who had nicked a huge amount of snacks and booze, Remus looked the other way at this) decided to head back to the tower for an after party. Harry hung back, Ron and Hermione pushing him towards his godfathers. Remus shared a confused look with Sirius, who shrugged.

"Harry," Hermione said pointedly to them, "had something he wanted to ask you."

"Hermione!" Harry kicked a rock on the ground as Fred yelled at them to hurry up or they'd miss the beginning of the party.

"I'm assuming you're not asking us to come drink stolen Firewhiskey in Gryffindor?" Sirius smirked at Harry.

"Go on and ask them Harry."

"Well, I didn't want to make the two of you row again but I still really want to be an animagus."

Remus sighed but smiled. He knew that Hermione could probably figure out the process on her own and there was very little they could do to stop the kids if they were fixated on the idea. He looked over at Sirius who was looking back at him cautiously.

"Okay. But if you're learning you have to get registered. And your godfather too." Remus looked pointedly at Sirius, who shrugged.

"What about Hermione and I?" Ron added quickly looking hopeful, "We can't let Harry have all the fun."

Sirius laughed, "Your mom would literally kill me Ron. But if your parents said it was alright then maybe? And get that in writing too, don't think I'm just going to take your word for it Ron, you know I'm smarter than that."

Ron smiled but also looked slightly defeated.

"We'll get started in the summer Harry, it's a long process and there's no guarantee that you'll even be able to achieve your form over the summer. Some witches and wizards have an aptitude and for others it's immensely difficult."

"Don't worry," Hermione smiled, "we like a challenge."

When they arrived back at Grimmauld, where they were staying for the night, Sirius looked fondly at Remus as Remus unwrapped his Gryffindor scarf.

"Haven't seen you in that for a long time." Sirius closed the gap between them in a few steps and kissed Remus softly, "It looks good on you."

Remus kissed him back, breathing deeply and letting the smell of Sirius' leathery cologne wash over him, "It seems like a long time ago that we were the kids wearing those scarves to class everyday."

Sirius grinned, "And now we've got a kid of our own in the stands instead."

"He's a good kid, no thanks to you. He's looking more and more like James every moment."

"I can't believe I'm going to be teaching teenagers to become animagi. If McGonagall knew she would have my head."

"She'd have both of our heads."

"Well of course," Sirius said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "we're in this together now, like it or not."

Remus smiled at him fondly, running the tips of his fingers through Sirius' long hair, "You're a pretty good dad you know that? James would be shocked."

"Don't be ridiculous," Sirius scoffed, an arm around Remus' waist pulling him closer, "James knew we would be good parents."

Remus wondered, as he leaned into another of Sirius' deep and heart-stopping kisses, how it is that he found himself a family after all these years alone. So many years he had spent thinking that his existence was predetermined - he'd been resigned, even willing to accept his fate as a, well, lone wolf. A monster that needed to protect others from himself. He saw himself as a danger, and if he were honest, it wasn't just because of the wolf. It was because he was sure that if someone saw him, really saw him, then it would hurt so much more to lose them. He'd already lost so much.

But things were different now. In typical Sirius fashion, 'no' hadn't been good enough, and Harry was too much like James - he also knew exactly how to break down the walls that Remus had built. He couldn't ignore them and he found that he didn't want to. There was nothing more he wanted than to provide some stability for these two people who mattered most to him. They deserved that much, after so many years of struggle, and perhaps...perhaps he deserved it too. Sure, it may have been a weird, over-the-top family consisting of a ex-con and the Boy Who Lived but it was his family, and they loved one another. What more could he possibly want but this?