starbrightblack

[starbrightblack]

benjyfenwiick​:

What was that? Sirius clearly didn’t think much of Benjy’s “skills” on the battlefield and Benjy felt himself blush at the thought. “Er…” he began awkwardly, trying to answer the question that might’ve been hypothetical. “Dueling?” It came out as a question, which probably wouldn’t instill much more confidence from Sirius.

But the older wizard told Benjy to stay with him and Benjy listened. He was pretty good at listening - when he wasn’t distracted or Dorcas wasn’t around. Those often were one in the same. But really, he just wanted to get to Maddy, who had told him outright that she wasn’t afraid to die. And if sticking with Sirius Black got him there in one piece, he would do it gladly.

Sirius was impressive in a battle. Benjy had seen it while sitting on the sidelines at the Dueling Club, ready to heal any injuries - but it was different on the field. He showed a grace in his movements that reminded Benjy of the way that, once, he was on the Quidditch Pitch.

“Furnunculus!” Benjy shouted at the now-silent Death Eater and, unlike the last time, it hit the wix. He’d been aiming for the face, but it hit the Death Eater’s hand. The wand hand, however - which made large boil sprout from the skin and forced the Death Eater to drop his wand. “Yes!” he said, almost excitedly, but sobered a moment later because Sirius Black was standing right next to him and getting happy over a hex wouldn’t help Benjy’s case.

Dueling. Got it. Sirius would return to that with Benjy later if they got the chance. They better get the chance. 

At least the next spell hit. Sirius had just enough focus to decide that part of his issue was his form, but they had bigger issues than correcting the way Benjy flicked his wand right now. “Good,” he said, figuring Benjy needed to hear it. Without pausing, he summoned the dropped wand toward them. The Death Eater wouldn’t be happy, but without a wand, he wouldn’t get very far toward revenge. That would mean fighting like a muggle.

“Lets go,” he said. As a just in case, Sirius threw a leg locking jinx toward the other. Mostly it would just piss him off, but if they lived through all this, at least a few Death Eaters would need to be taken alive. 

As Sirius strode around the corner, he swore and buckled under the sting of another curse. His hand went to his waist. Blood. Not good. He looked up, the soulless eyes of another mask staring back from a few meters away. Sirius kept his hand clamped to his side. Did he even have time to get his wand up? Could he risked it.

[starbrightblack]

benjyfenwiick​:

Antici-

Benjy had been in the infirmary at the House of Bones when Amelia’s patronus came - an attack on the Ministry. His first thought wasn’t, as he thought it might be, Dorcas. But instead another girl came to his mind. While he couldn’t be sure Maddy would just willingly jump into battle as he knew Dorcas would, the memory of Maddy talking about her dad’s death in a whole other kind of war came to mind. She would die, if she had to. 

So he Apparated.

It was into the Atrium of the Ministry, which might’ve been surprising had he had much time to think about it. But there was no time to think about it because, almost immediately, a wand was in his face. Sirius Black’s wand. The leader of the advanced dueling club. Someone who could easily kill him, if he wanted to. But Sirius evidently didn’t want to because he lowered the wand and asked about healing. 

The thought soured Benjy’s insides. It was all people thought of him - all he was good for. He narrowed his eyes so slightly that Sirius might’ve not been able to tell. He ignored the older wix’s question. “Have you seen - “ Just then, a Death Eater approached from behind Sirius. “ - Look out!” Benjy yelled and shot a curse towards the Death Eater.

It hit way above the masked person’s head, exploding a lantern flying in the sky as twenty little memos that were obviously sent before the destruction bursts into flame. “Uh…” Benjy said to Sirius. The explosion, luckily, was enough to distract the Death Eater, though they recovered quickly and continued the approach. 

.

Sirius watched something shift in Benjy’s eyes, and he wondered if he’d misstepped somehow. Before he had time to really think about out, Benjy yelled. Sirius ducked on instinct. He turned around just in time to see a fireball of paper burst in the air.

“What was that?” he yelled as he stumbled toward Benjy and away from the Death Eater. If it was a diversion technique, Benjy needed a better one. “Keep with me.” Sirius took a few steps back. A mask wasn’t much to stare in the eyes of, but if they couldn’t see him, they might as well remove his ability to chat too.

“Langlock!” Sirius flicked his wand. The Death Eater stumbled momentarily before raising their wand in return. They couldn’t speak aloud, but that didn’t make their spells less deadly. Sirius quickly raised his own for a shield in front of Benjy and himself. 

[starbrightblack]

Antici-

Sirius pulled his arm back, satisfaction burning at the back of his brain as he watched the Death Eater drop. Sirius hadn’t killed him. At least probably not. Then again, getting hit that hard in the chest with a pressure charm could have some nasty effects even if he did manage to get up. Not Sirius’ problem.

He hurried along down the hall and realized he was back near the atrium again. Sirius hadn’t been there long, but he knew most of the action was happening elsewhere; he just wanted to get to it. As he rounded the corner, a body in front of him had Sirius immediately whipping his wand back up. He didn’t fire. He paused. A face, not a mask, and once he’d had a split second to process, Sirius lowered his wand again. “Benjy,” he said, already looking over the boy’s shoulder in case anyone else joined him. “What are you doing here? I haven’t seen anyone who needs a healer yet, but I can give you a heads up by patronus if I do.”

He didn’t expect that Benjy would be here for anything else. Sirius had only ever seen him in the capacity of a healer. He wouldn’t have expected anything more with that experience. He didn’t have time to take in Benjy’s appearance, to see that little extra something in his eye, that glint of something to prove.

[starbrightblack]

alphaleoniis​:

Regulus snorted at the joke. They used to do this sometimes - joke together. Before James, Regulus had been Sirius’ only friend. "Touché,” Regulus said. Their mother hated much of what Sirius had become, but the fascination with Muggle things was one of the worst parts. Regulus could see that Sirius likely did some of it to annoy everyone in the house - but, in the end, it had worked.

As Sirius stiffen, it seemed as though he wasn’t the only brother to know how to get under the skin of a Black. Regulus narrowed his eyes as Sirius whirled around, his voice tense and angry. There was something else underneath it that Regulus couldn’t place - he’d stopped knowing his brother a long time ago.

“I was going to offer my condolences,” Regulus said, raising his chin. It was not the truth. Whatever Peter had done to get himself killed was probably better for everyone. But, of course, Sirius did not know about the Mark under the sleeve of Pettigrew’s robes. “But I’ll keep them to myself. Grieve away, Brother. I’m sure you’ll see them soon. At the rate you all are going, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re friend group continued to dwindle. Or, if Fate is cruel - which I do believe it is - perhaps you’ll be the only person to not join them during this war.”

Regulus looked up at Sirius as he came closer to his table. He couldn’t help the quickening of his heart at the question - the crystal ball in his bag was letting off the heat of Knowing. “I am not sure how that is any of your business,” Regulus told him, his voice steady. “But, if you must know, I enjoy the walls of this house. It Speaks the Truth.” 

.

Sirius pressed his lips together in a firm line as he willed himself not to bite back to that. He didn’t buy for a moment that Regulus had brought up Peter to grieve, not with that much venom on his tongue. 

Still, without even thinking about it, Sirius spat, “Fuck you.” Regulus didn’t get to will that kind of torment onto Sirius’ family, the ones that mattered. The ones that had protected him. Where had Regulus been at Sirius’ lowest moments? When Sirius had run from the house, Regulus had been there over his parents’ shoulders. He hadn’t ever been around to watch Sirius grieve, and now in the wake of Florean and--in its weird messy way--Peter, he was promising Sirius the very thing he feared most: to be left alone by the only people Sirius felt he truly had.

“Yeah, sure, all about truth,” he said, not daring look at his brother in case it summoned that rashness that had gotten him into trouble, violence that would feel good now but leave him having to explain like a child later why he’d decked his brother. “The truth of blood purity, the truth of inbred superiority... So strong in your convictions, aren’t you? Never one to muddy the waters or believe things that anyone with eyes can see isn’t true.” He thought of Lily as he said this and even Snape of all people. Talented, but not pureblood. Anomalies, according to pureblood superstition, but they were far too common for that.

[starbrightblack]

dearborncaradoc​:

“Both,” Caradoc replied to the question of ‘which’. Now that he found their conversation on the fighting club concluded, he could focus solely on inquiring on the remaining marauders. 

It didn’t surprise him to learn that Remus had convinced Sirius to come back to the Estate, instead of going somewhere that would have proven to be dangerous both for Sirius and the Order at large. He made a mental note of it, though he most likely would never bring up the subject to Remus himself.  

Weirdly, he wasn’t surprised that Sirius didn’t know where Peter was while at the same time it struck a chord inside, calling up the memory of a Peter sitting down, drinking tea and talking about how much he would like to spend more time with his friends. Yet, in the worst possible time, they were all seemingly scattered around. Alone instead of being together. In a way, they could never be together now—a piece of them was lost, and it would never feel like before ever again. It was a feeling that he knew all too well.

“Maybe you should go look for him,” he suggested, and for once his voice did not have that usual unyielding quality to it, that harshness that made everything sound like an order. “Either way, I won’t keep you any longer. Thank you for listening,” Caradoc remarked, at last.

“That’s... probably a good idea,” Sirius admitted, almost surprising himself that he was being agreeable about it. But he needed them, so he could only assume the others needed him. Since he hadn’t seen Peter, he should start with him. It was only right to make sure Peter knew he wasn’t being forgotten, that he still mattered to his friends.

He nodded a few times, unsure what else to say, then tipped his head to say he was leaving. This conversation had been an odd one, and Sirius wondered what expectations would come with this dueling team. But he’d try it. If Sirius could finally do something of use and show that he knew what he was doing, he’d try it.

[end]

[starbrightblack]

untamedmeadowes​:

Fill The Silence

Dorcas had a good head for resting on when you were sad. Lots of bouncy, cushioning curls, strong enough to offer comfortable padding but not so coarse that they’d chafe soft damp skin. She didn’t know that from personal experience, of course, having never had the opportunity to weep into her own arms, but she’d been told something of the sort by several friends over the years, and she had no reason to disbelieve them, so she assumed it was true. She hoped it was, for Sirius’s sake. Dorcas had little enough comfort she could offer him; an approximation of a pillow would have to do.

“So…you don’t really get on with your brother, then?” Dorcas asked. Then she frowned and corrected, then re-corrected, “Didn’t get on, I mean. Don’t get on?” Her frown deepened, then she shrugged it away. Whatever; the grammatical rules of which tense to use for someone who had been dead but no longer was weren’t really the priority right now. “Whatever, I’m sorry. Maybe things will be better now?” she offered, voice bright with hope that was more desperate plea than actual expectation.

Dorcas knew Regulus from school, but only in the vague sort of recognition of someone who’d flown Seeker on a team she cheered against for a few years before graduation had carried him away and left other Slytherins to compete against in his place. The same obviously had not been true for Sirius – but Dorcas was an only child. She had no sense of context from which she could help with this conversation, either (dammit). Still, she tried: “I mean, if he came to you when he thought the ‘fate of the world’ was resting on him or whatever, that’s got to be a good sign, right? Whether it’s true or not. That you’re the one he went to. Right?”

Sirius snorted, both at her question and her struggle as to how to phrase it. “And that’s part of the problem, isn’t it? Hard to get on with someone who was supposed to be dead and showed up out of the blue calling you an idiot.” Granted Sirius was perfectly happy to throw the insults back, but that didn’t really speak to a blossoming relationship. “We were once,” he said, but even that felt untrue. It had been them against the world, but really it had been them against their parents. And whether Regulus meant for it or not, Sirius had always fallen faster and farther whenever the two had found momentary disgrace.

“I’m not sure he had anyone else to turn to,” Sirius admitted, ever cynical when it came to his brother. “But I suppose things could be worse. He did show up, so that’s... something.” Something good or something bad, still to be determined. “What about you?” he asked, changing the subject. “Any siblings? Any tense relationships or amazing examples of family bonding?” Dorcas had been around a lot, but Sirius really didn’t know much about her. He didn’t know much about a lot of people in the Order.

[starbrightblack]

empoweredevans​:

The coin burned in her pocket - she was questioning when she wasn’t supposed to. Lily stuck her hands into her pocket, feeling it, relishing the burn against her fingers. Screw it, she thought. It wasn’t fair to make them promise something when they didn’t even know what they were promising! And she didn’t believe Edgar when he said he just would’ve accepted it, had it been Amelia. Or, perhaps, that was the difference between a Gryffindor and a Ravenclaw.

Sirius was right though - Peter was their friend and he’d been scared. Terrified, in fact. Lily sighed at the words, nodding slightly, as she walked up her small porch and pulled out her key. It was a Muggle key for a Muggle place, but had been charmed for safety. She tapped it to the keyhole, as the charm made it so she didn’t needed to actually turn the lock. The wards would be done for just a moment now.

When Sirius brought up the Inner Circle, however, Lily glanced at him. “I’m not so sure it was them, Sirius,” she said slowly. She didn’t want to cause him too much stress, but would be honest with him. Unlike what Peter was being towards them. “I think Peter might’ve made this choice. It sounded like he went to Edgar.” 

She closed the door behind them and said, almost a whisper, “What do you think he could’ve done?” With the question, the coin still in her fingers burned so hot that she hissed and dropped it to the ground. Her fingers looked a painful red. 

Sirius looked down at the familiar key. He didn’t have a copy himself, but when James had brought him over or they’d arrived together on his bike, a copy of that little key had been a familiar sight. He couldn’t believe a key made him feel such an ache.

“But why?” Sirius asked. “Why Edgar? Why not us?” He knew it sounded a bit petulant, but Peter choosing the inner circle over them for help was something he still couldn’t wrap his mind around. It had always been them, first the four of them and then they’d added Lily. They’d solved problems together, learned complicated magic, created new magic. There had never been a problem they couldn’t solve. Until James. 

Was that it? Sirius wondered. Without James holding them together, were they crumbling? Had Peter doubted their collective power without the ringleader? Merlin forbid this was the beginning of the end. Was Sirius going to lose them all?

He snapped out of it, blinking back tears as he looked over at Lily. “Done?” he repeated, then grew distracted by her hand. Sirius hissed in sympathy and summoned an ice cube that he carefully pressed against her hand. It wouldn’t solve the problem, but hopefully she had a salve they could use somewhere in the apartment. “Why do you assume he’s done something? He’s Peter. He wouldn’t do anything wrong!”

[starbrightblack]

sectumsmpra​:

Black’s verbal retort was disappointing, but he supposed if the Gryffindor wanted to put their spat in practice only and take half the fun out of it then Severus would be entirely too ready to oblige. The only reason he was here was Edgar’s sound reasoning and earnest persuasion. And learning to fight like a member of the Order didn’t have to mean unlearning to fight Sirius Black and push his buttons just enough to make him snap.

He flicked away the first curse, and the second. The confundus flew past his shoulder as he stepped aside, and in a fluid motion sent a mild dark paralysis curse towards the man’s left arm, followed quickly by a choking curse. He jumped back twice, putting distance between them, as the other man continued his aimless and irrational barrage of spells. Did Black not spend a moment to refine his skills since Hogwarts? Surely the wizard tasked with coaching the advanced fighters of the Order would have something better to offer. ‘ You keep shooting and you might get lucky one of those times, ’ he taunted, a snort following the words as he simply lifted his wand and graciously waited for the man to make his next move. ‘ This is so nostalgic. Isn’t it so? I had more trouble with you before, but then, it was never just you back then, was it? Not like now. ’

His wand, pointed previously straight towards its target, moved slightly to the side now, just enough to give the illusion of a generous opening. ‘ Come on, ’ he said. ‘ First shot again. Not for old times sake, you just look like you need it. ’ Maybe Edgar was right. Maybe he did need the exercise. This was positively revitalizing his soul.

.

Sirius had seen Snape fight plenty of times. He knew that a single good spell wouldn’t cut it. He knew it took a barrage and creativity when Snape was prepared for the fight. And prepared he apparently was. Sirius’ motion allowed him to sidestep the first curse, but he had to throw up a shield for the other. It bounced off, but sent him back a step. Snape certainly wasn’t fighting light.

Just you. No more James. And Snape relished in that, didn’t he? He’ d probably celebrated that night when he’d heard. Sirius hadn’t seen him in the aftermath of the fight, but it was impossible to imagine him doing anything else besides raising a glass to James Potter’s death. 

And here he was taunting Sirius about it. “You’ll pay for that,” he nearly growled as he lifted his wand.

The opening was huge and clearly fake, but perhaps Sirius could still make use of it. He tossed back three of the same blasting spell all in the row. Then he sent a tripping jinx toward where he thought Snape’s head would be by the time he moved for them. He’d never actually do so before and was curious if it would snap his head back the way he kicked feet out from under a person. 

He wanted to do more. He should do more. James was dead, and Snape was here to gloat about it. He flicked a blinding jinx at Snape’s head, then took a page out of Bran’s book and shot out a spell to destroy the ground at his feet.

[starbrightblack]

lutraverselemonde​:

“Oh, you,” Lu laughed, waving off Sirius while also making a great show out of how flattered they were by his cliché type of comment. “No, no, there’s no fun in imagining the impossible. It just ends up having you wonder about logistics and backstory, and it pollutes the mind. One time a client of mine told me about his wife’s favourite positions and moves, and I spent the whole night so worried I’d be too similar to her that I did a full 180° and ended up imitating her last and most famous move: I packed my stuff and left without another word.” A long, pathos-filled sigh.

“Anyway. Tonight? I’m not sure. Jannet?” A quill appeared out of thin air, along with a pink piece of parchment. “What are my plans for tonight?” The quill scribbled eagerly, a carbon copy of what was written in Lu’s agenda at home. Lu took a glance and clicked their tongue at the quill, giving it a look. “Really, Jannet, there’s no reason to be tacky.” The quill swung its feathery arse at them then disappeared. Lu shook their head and turned back to Sirius with a smile. “No plans tonight. Fodder dearly needed.”

Lu listened with mild amusement to Sirius’ rant, seeming neither particularly shocked nor – surprisingly enough – bored. “So nothing new on that front then.” Sirius was Ganymede’s clientele, had not real reasons to be friends with someone like Alaric, and Lu would continue to not invite him to their fabulous parties.

Sirius opened his mouth to comment, but it ended up hanging that way for a moment. “What a power move,” he eventually blurted, imagining it for himself. Lu was right. There was a certain quality to things when you tried to picture exactly as they’d been, but he did enjoy what was left to the imagination. He didn’t know the client’s face or anything about him, but Sirius could picture the expression Lu must have left him with easily enough.

He watched the quill with interest when it appeared, but from the angle of the parchment, Sirius missed whatever tacky comment the quill had written. A shame really. He was always curious for quips like that, but he had a sinking suspicion that even if he asked, Lu wouldn’t sure. Instead he raised an eyebrow at them. “I feel like there’s an opening there. Is it one you’d like me to take?” As soon as he’d sent them, Sirius heard the innuendo in his words, but he managed to keep his face in that semi-flirty mimicry innocence. 

“Occasionally things have to stay the same.” Sirius had intended it to be just a quip, but with everything else going on, it slipped just an edge of desperation into his voice. After James, the idea of other things staying the same wounded like something he achingly needed. Sirius wasn’t sure how long he’d get it, but surely the universe wouldn’t be too cruel to him until he’d had time to get his feet back under him. He couldn’t even flirt properly right now.

[starbrightblack]

Sirius was always destined for a fight. That’s what his mother muttered anyway when he picked up an Aspen wand and had Ollivander nod in approval. The springy twelve and a half inch wand had a dragon heartstring core, and while there was nothing wrong with it, the fact that none of the family wands kept in the home passed Ollivander’s inspection for Sirius had annoyed her. They knew enough to know that any old wand wouldn’t do, but the fact that none had matched with Sirius well enough for use was almost insulting. But she’d still bought him his own wand. One more reason he didn’t really fit in.

[starbrightblack]

alphaleoniis​:

It was much too late for Regulus to be roaming the corridors of the cursed home - or it should have been too late. But the night hours were the best for spirits and the Truth. It was as though the quietness stilled the air, opening it to new possibilities and harsh realities.

He hadn’t wanted to pull out the old crystal ball he’d stolen from the Potter Estate on the day it had been attacked at the farm. Too many people who he didn’t care for - too many people who were just looking at him to fail. The House of Bones, while typically filled with hushed voices of Order members, was a better option. There was silence here and enough rooms for Regulus to slip into.

Not to mention… the house wanted to be heard.

As he looked in the crystal ball, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. In concern. His body had a chill run through it as he stared into a foggy picture of an unrecognizable orb. He’d never seen it before - but he knew it held answers. The Truth was asking him to listen now and he was. He needed to discover what that orb was - what it meant.

He straightened quickly as he heard footsteps and tapped his wand to the crystal ball, clearing it, before quickly putting it back into his bag. And just in time, too, because none other than his brother walked through the threshold of the door. Sirius would kill him if he knew that Regulus stole something from his precious James Potter.

Sirius acted as though he did not know Regulus was sitting at the table, but Regulus just watched him for a moment before saying, “Brother,” as a greeting. “I didn’t know you’d learned to read. Mother would be so proud.” He smirked, raised his chin towards Sirius. He looked stricken, angry, but not as he had with James. 

“You’ve lost another friend,” Regulus commented dryly, mentioning Peter Pettigrew. There was something off about the way the Order members were reacting to their so-called fallen comrade, but Regulus wasn’t privy to the information the others held. “Did you not love Pettigrew in the same way you did Potter? Or, perhaps, there’s something else I don’t know?”

.

Sirius bristled at the initial barb. Bold of him to invoke the woman who’d screamed by letter at Sirius over his death, who’d be just as disappointed in them both if she could see Regulus here now. Who’d probably find some way to make this Sirius’ fault too. Every time his brother failed to measure up or didn’t quite succeed, Sirius had always had it made quite clear his influence was to blame. Why else would her flesh and blood not measure up?

“Yes, well, I’m sure she’d be horrified to hear it was from muggle smut and motorcycle repair manuals.” It wasn’t Sirius’ best work, but it was something.

He was glad he hadn’t been facing Regulus when he took the stab about Peter. Sirius froze, his whole body tense, before whirling around and snapping, “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, so leave it be! You don’t get to talk about either of them, especially like that.” Because in some ways, Regulus was right that he’d lost another friend. Peter might not have been as dead as everyone assumed, but Sirius could tell he’d lost him, just from the way he’d shrunk away that night, the fear in his eyes. He wasn’t theirs anymore, and Sirius wondered if he’d missed when that had become true.

Taking a breath, Sirius walked past Regulus’ table again, going over to the other shelf. He couldn’t look at him and have a civil conversation, and Regulus himself wasn’t helping. “What are you doing down here anyway?” He’d looked just long enough to see that Regulus’ table wasn’t covered in the telltale signs of research or notetaking, but Sirius couldn’t imagine why else he’d be down here. Surely if he wanted to be alone, he could just sulk in his room.

[starbrightblack]

properpureblood-emma​:

 Sirius Black was certainly not the ghost of an ancient Bones relative. Though she wasn’t entirely certain she wouldn’t have preferred a ghost have witnessed her miserable attempt at offensive magic. 

Emma opened her mouth for some sort of explanation as to what the miserable attempt had been, her face flush with embarrassment. “It… Maybe?” She offered weakly. “I was never particularly good at them… Or anything else they attempted to teach in Defense Against the Dark Arts… It was a bit of a joke in the Slytherin common room back in school… ‘How miserably did Vanity do on the practical exam this time…’”

She shook her head, quickly forcing a smile into place. “Though I’m sure you’re not here about that- were you looking for someone? This place is a maze, I’m convinced.”

.

Maybe. Sirius couldn’t help the small smile that slid across his face. Clearly she was trying to practice something, but if she didn’t have a clear idea what, that could be entirely part of her problem. A rather large part even.

“Just wandering,” Sirius said, and it was true enough, he supposed. “I don’t want to overstep if you’re wanting to work on your own, but maybe I could help? I don’t remember seeing you at the dueling practice, but I think I was helpful for most.” Except Snape. Definitely not Snape. Then again, if Emma’s dueling was as bad as she claimed, she probably would have stayed with Bran for practice if that had been the case. 

[starbrightblack]

inconsolcble​:

Remus sighed. He didn’t need Sirius’ reassurance of his morals, but it was admittedly good to know he wasn’t being judged by his best friend. Killing was necessary. He was far past that line, these days. He’d killed consciously, and he didn’t regret his choice. If he’d attacked someone out of blinding anger, purely rage, like he’d done to Severus, that would bring him more agony than the cold-blooded murder he’d executed earlier to defend himself. He didn’t want to be a monster, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t willing to kill.

“Yeah. Yeah, we’re alive,” he murmured back, and he didn’t know why the words felt like such a burden on his tongue.

He felt Sirius growing tired, and he hummed quietly, willing his friend to go to sleep. They probably could use the rest; it was painfully late, and there was too much to be done in the morning. Hopefully, by then, they would feel any better than this. Hopefully, by then, there would be more hope.

[The end]

[starbrightblack]

alices-husband​:

Waving Through A Window

“I better be good as new,” Frank exhaled with a little difficulty. But if he wasn’t?

There was no room to think like that.  Frank already formulated a plan in his head—they’d just get dittany from the basement, and they would go back to Diagon Alley and find this Emlen kid. He took a deep breath and led them up the stairs, the handle opening at his touch. Skimble had left the door unlocked for him—charmed to only let him open the door, only this time there was nothing preventing Sirius from coming through the front door. Frank gestured at the stairs ahead, with Skimble following them into the basement. 

To their left was the dueling room; ahead was the kitchenette, and to their right, the conference rooms. Skimble shuffled to find the right potion as Frank leaned forward onto the table. He turned his head towards Sirius and exhaled; a part of him wanted to apologize for the trouble—especially the inconvenience of having to carry Frank all the way to the front of the house. 

Instead, Frank just repeated the sentiment. “I better be good as new, because I’m fucking throwing Emlen in Azkaban.” 

He narrowed his eyes, nearly hissing—he didn’t have the energy to be that angry with Sirius since he had more pressing issues to deal with, but Frank was still frustrated with how well the duel—if you could even call it that—had gone. “What the hell happened to you back there?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sirius said as he helped Frank along. He was going for a joke, the hint of it coming easily in grave situations because that’s how he’d so often coped with friends, but the shake to Frank’s walk and his inability to cast so many spells right now weren’t something Sirius could just dismiss. Frank was hurt and badly. What could Sirius do to fix it? He couldn’t save anyone. Unbidden, images of Florean’s bloody body surfaced in his mind, and Sirius shuddered, trying to will them away. He wasn’t successful.

As a distraction, he tried to look around the Longbottom estate as they moved through. He helped Frank shift onto the table, wincing at the comment. Azkaban. What what he’d done, he deserved so much worse, but Sirius hadn’t done it. He’d wanted to. Why hadn’t he? Fuck, that was a thought for a different time. He didn’t think he could handle it right now.

“Me?” he asked, Frank’s question pulling him fully and completely back to the moment. “What do you mean? I- I did what I could.” Nothing. He’d done nothing for Florean, not even avenged him. “I helped you. I- Was I just supposed to let you stand there and die?”

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the moon

Can they find beauty in hurtful situations?

Sirius would like to believe he can, but he’s really struggling with that right now. Between James’ murder, Florean’s murder, Peter’s whatever-deep-shit-he’s-in, Remus’ outing, the Order’s general frustrations, and Snape’s irritating proximity, he’s wearing a little thin right now.

Do they push to follow their dreams or do they wait idly by?

Sirius has never had a clear direction for what he wanted in life, except to be near his friends. He would mostly say he’s gone with the flow for most of his life.

What paralyzes my muse emotionally?

At this point? Losing anyone else, especially someone like Lily, Remus, or Peter.

[starbrightblack]

Tarot Card Based Asks

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