#remus tells Evan what would have happened without him

[lulublack90]

Prompt 12 - Wand

@rosekillermicrofic April 12, word count 393

Previous part First part Wolfstar series part 1

“Nah, they do this sometimes. Come on, you can help me chop peppers and tell me all about this cat that Barty won’t stop raving about,” Remus said, clapping him on the back as he stepped over the pair on the floor. Evan followed him, skirting around Barty and Sirius as Barty continued to try and get a cushion over Sirius’s face. There was already a chopping board with three bell peppers on it. He washed his hands and picked up the knife, begging to chop the vegetables into thin strips while Remus busied himself with everything else. 

“Mmm that smells good,” Sirius said from the doorway, crossing the kitchen to steal a kiss from Remus and snag some grated cheese out of the bowl. 

"Oi,” Remus slapped his spatula on the back of Sirius’s hand. 

“Ouch!” Sirius exclaimed, rubbing the back of his hand that had already begun to turn red. 

“Out!” Remus ordered, brandishing his spatula at Sirius. “And take giggles there with you,” Remus turned his attention to Barty, who was trying to hide his giggles and failing miserably. Remus waited for them to leave before he started talking to Evan. 

“So you let Barty into your house?” Even let out a sigh as he finished chopping his last pepper. 

“Er, yeah. He didn’t look like he was doing well, and I couldn’t let him go off on his own like that. Not that it helped because he ran out of mine even worse off,” Evan passed Remus the peppers. Remus took them off him and put them back on the side. He put his hands on Evan’s shoulders and stared deep into his eyes. 

“Evan if you hadn’t shown him that little bit of kindness he would have gone home to his father and who knows what would have happened. Instead, he came here and we’ve got him now. You did good Evan,” Remus’s genuine smile sunk deep into Evan’s soul. He’d missed these guys, and he even added Barty in there. He was starting to see there was so much more to Barty than all that bravado and him being a pain in the arse. 

“Hey, Barty, that’s my magic wand! Put it down!” Sirius’s sudden shout made them both jump. They raised their brows at each other and went to see what all the fuss was about. 

Next part

[marauder-misprint]

I loved Nail polish & cologne, you are such an amazing writer! It's been so long since I read a decent version of Moony in a fic. You made me incredibly happy today 🫣

Sorry if it's rude to ask, any chance you could make a sequel?

Omg, I don't find it rude at all to ask for sequels/more parts to any of my writing! It's one of the highest compliments in my opinion! So, thank you 🥰

Also tagging everyone who asked for a part 2 in the replies/comments ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎

Fresh parchment & perfume

Remus Lupin x reader

part one

2.3k words

cw: fluff, mutual pining, Y/N, angst if you squint

You want to murder Remus Lupin. 

Okay, not really. But you’re frustrated that he’s taken away one of your simple daily joys: staring at him during class. You’ve been caught staring at him multiple times now and you swear there have been times where he was looking at you first. This never happened before so why is it happening now? 

You come to a conclusion, but you don’t like it. It’s the only thing that makes sense though.

“Lily!” you yell as you enter your dorm and slam the door behind you. “What did you say?”

She looks at you like a deer caught in headlights. 

“About what? To who? When?” she asks, preparing her defense.

“About what I smelled in the Amortentia!”

“You never told me what you smelled,” she says, furrowing her brow. “I mean, I can assume, but you never actually told me. And who would I have told?”

“Oh, I don’t know, James, maybe?”

She laughs. “Potter?” Then she looked down at her hands. “I mean, yeah, we’ve talked a little bit and he doesn’t seem… as bad? But we don’t talk about you.” 

“Oh.” Your voice is small. “Never mind then.”

You collapse on your bed and Lily is sitting at the foot of it within seconds. 

“What gave you the idea that I’ve told Potter about your feelings for a certain quiet prefect?” she asks.

You lift your head to glare at her. You’re not in the mood. 

“He’s been looking at me…” you mumble, which causes Lily to fall into a fit of laughter. “Lily!”

“I-I… I’m sorry, but… that’s ridiculous and you know it,” she manages to say in between her laughs. “He’s been looking at you?”

“Yes,” you say firmly. “He’s never looked at me this much before”

You pause as you hide your face in your hands. 

“He must know and he’s trying to figure out how to tell me that he doesn’t feel the same way.”

“Or…”

“Or what?”

“Or he’s working up the courage to talk to you?” Lily offers.

“He can talk to me just fine. We’ve studied before. Played Summoner’s Court. Wizards’ chess. We talk.” 

“Okay, yes, you talk. But have you tried flirting with him?”

You bite the inside of your cheek. “No… But then why is he just staring at me and not talking to me?” 

“Why have you been staring at him and not flirting with him?” she shoots your question back at you. 

“I don’t need your logic right now,” you groan, rolling over to shove your face into your pillow. 

---

“Has she always stared at me this much?” Remus asks Sirius nervously as they lounge in their dorm. 

James was at quidditch practice and Peter had solo detention. 

“Can’t say I’ve paid much attention to her, Moony. Might be a better question for Prongs.”

“Why’s that?” 

“Because Y/N’s always with Evans? And he stares at her quite often. Come on, mate. Two plus two.” Sirius gives his friend a sympathetic look. “Have you talked to her at all since?”

Remus doesn’t answer, letting the silence answer for him. No, he hadn’t. The amount of times he’s caught you staring at him over the past two days is startling. Each time, you would turn red and look away almost immediately. He hasn’t been able to focus as much in classes, not when he knows you might be looking at him, not when Sirius thinks he might actually have a chance with you. 

“Have you… oh, I don’t know, considered talking to her?”

“Padfoot,” Remus says tiredly. 

“You can’t ask a girl out without words.”

“You would know.” It comes out more as a sigh. 

Remus doesn’t want to admit it, but yes, out of the Marauders, Sirius had the most experience with girls. But whether his “expertise” could actually be trusted was up in the air. He never stayed with a girl for too long and he wasn’t sure if it was his choice or a result of his actions. 

“Yes, I would know. And if she has been staring at you as much as you claim, even if just these past few days, ask. her. out.” 

“What if she’s just been zoning out? You know, when you stare but you’re not really looking?”

“She’s just been zoned out in your direction multiple times a day?”

“Yes.”

Remus knows it sounds ridiculous, and that’s only enforced when Sirius chuckles from the window where he’s smoking. Then he’s standing up and offering Remus one. 

“Stop being so dense,” he says. “And so hard on yourself. I know what that voice in your head is saying.”

Remus takes the cigarette and follows Sirius back to the window.

“And what is it saying?”

“That you’re not worthy of love or attraction, that you’re not attractive. So how could lovely Y/N actually like you when you’re, well, you.”

“Yeah. Thanks,” Remus says dryly before taking a drag. 

“Oi, not saying any of that’s true.”

Remus rolls his eyes. 

“Ask. her. out. And you’ll see that you’re wrong.”

The two boys sit on the window ledge for a while, each going through a few cigarettes. Silence fills the room. Sirius is more than content to just let his brain empty while Remus’s mind is running circles around itself.

Was he imagining the blush when he caught you staring? Were you staring because you liked him? Were you just staring into the distance and turning red because you realized you were staring at a person? How often did you stare at him? Was it because of that Potions lesson? What if you were staring near him and not actually at him? Was he being narcissistic to think you looked at him? He sat by Peter, James and Sirius in every class. It was very logical to think that you were staring at one of them. 

“Shit,” Remus mutters.

“What?” Sirius’ voice sounds far away despite being right next to him.

“She’s been staring at you.” 

Sirius laughs.

“No, Pads, think about it. You’ve been next to me every time I’ve caught her staring. It makes so much sense!”

“Moony. You’re delusional,” Sirius says. 

James enters the dorm. Sirius’ eyes light up.

“Prongs, help me out here!” Sirius calls as James throws his bag down on his bed.

“Yeah?” 

“Y/N. Has she been staring at me or Moony in class?” 

“I’m not getting in between you two if you’re fighting over a girl,” James says, laying down on the floor near the window.

“Not fighting over a girl,” Remus says, giving Sirius an annoyed look. “Padfoot just figures you’d know who she stares at, if she’s staring at all, since you, you know, stare at Lily.”

“I do not!” James exclaims as he sits up rapidly.

Sirius laughs, “She’s not in here and we know you do. Don’t lie.” He pauses for a moment to light a new cigarette. “For Moony’s sake, does Y/N stare at him during class?”

James slowly lays back down while giving Sirius a wary look.

“I swear, if I get hexed for answering…”

“Not going to hex you!” Sirius says.

“She stares at Moony. A lot. Think she pays more attention to him than lessons.”

“So she’s gone for you!” Sirius barks, clapping a hand on Remus’ knee and causing him to grimace. “Fucking told you!”

---

You make a serious effort to not look in Remus’ direction during classes. It kills you. It’s been your habit for years and you’re quitting cold turkey. You’re both grateful and mortified that Remus hasn’t called you out for it; he can’t call you out for it if he hasn’t talked to you. 

It doesn’t help that Lily has started gently nudging you every time Remus enters a room or sits remotely near you. She doesn’t have to say anything for you to know what she’s thinking. 

“You’re the first thing he looks at when he enters a room,” she whispers during Transfiguration. 

“Or he’s looking for the Marauders,” you retort just as quietly. 

“Yeah, right,” she says sarcastically. 

Professor McGonagall flashes a harsh look in your direction and the two of you fall silent. You’re thankful that she didn’t call you out, or worse, ask you to share what you were talking about with the class. That would have been mortifying. 

You’ve been successful in your mission to not stare at Remus so far, despite the insatiable urge to do so pulling at your eyes. You swear, the man is magnetic. It doesn’t help that Lily has suddenly become relentless in her nudging and subtle poking.

“What?” you hiss, looking down at your notes.

“He keeps looking this way.” 

You roll your eyes and turn your attention back to McGonagall. While Lily’s words stoked the flame of hope in your heart, you didn’t need to be losing house points for not paying attention. 

When class ended, Lily put her things away at record speed.

“Potter! Wait up!” she calls, leaving you behind.

You frown as you briefly watch her go. You usually walked to your next class together. You knew that she smelled something like James in the Amortentia and that had fueled her new friendship with him. And as much as you liked seeing your friend this happy, you didn’t like that it meant walking to your classes alone. 

Except when you exit the classroom, you aren't alone. Remus is right at your side. You walk in silence for a few paces. It’s not uncomfortable but it’s charged. Despite the other students in the corridor with you, you swear you can hear every step you take. It doesn’t help that you can feel your heart beating in your throat. 

“How’ve you been?” you ask. You keep your face straight, knowing that if you look at Remus, you’ll likely trip, fall and embarrass yourself.

“Oh… I’ve been relatively good.” He pauses momentarily. “James hasn’t shut up about what he smelled in the Amortentia.” 

You try not to laugh. “Lily’s not been too shy about it either. I think she’ll say yes sooner or later.” 

Remus gestures ahead of you to where the two are. “Seems like it.”

Silence falls between you again. You were used to being with Remus in the quiet; that’s how it usually was when you studied in the library together. Except that was different. When you studied, you had your books in front of you and you were both scribbling away, scrawling on  parchment until your inkwells ran out. 

“Did you really smell the library in the Amortentia?” you ask, breaching the silence. You’re not really sure what made you ask, but something inside of you needed to know.

“Erm, yeah. Yeah, I did,” he answers. He’s not looking at you in the same way you’re not looking at him, meaning you’re both trying to gauge the other’s expression in your peripheral vision. “What did you smell? You got pretty quiet after smelling the potion.”

“Oh, um, I smelled… nail polish, chocolate, parchment,” you listed off with a glaring omission. 

Remus let out a breath that he wasn’t aware he was holding. He didn’t want to admit that he was disappointed in your answer. He was hoping you had smelled something more obviously him. It didn’t register in his brain that he was the chocolate and parchment you smelled. 

“That all?” he asks hesitantly. 

“Was the library all you smelled?” you retorted defensively. 

You saw his features tense. 

“Was it?” you repeated, more gentle this time, like talking to a scared child. 

“It was the library. Everything that encompasses my usual visits,” he starts to say as he turns to look at you. “The books, fresh parchment, ink, your perfume.” 

You stop walking. Remus notices immediately, having been watching you and your expression. His heart is racing in his chest. He can’t tell if your reaction is good or bad, based on your wide eyes and sharp intake. You swallow, looking up at the taller, scarred boy next to you.

“My… perfume? You smelled me?” you ask. “You smelled me in the Amortentia?”

Remus flushes with embarrassment. He feels like he should’ve known better than to trust Sirius on this. He was a self-proclaimed ladies’ man afterall. 

Remus nods. He doesn’t know if he trusts his voice, but then he starts rambling.

“I thought… Sirius said you couldn’t look away from me so he said I had a chance, but obviously, if you don’t feel the same way… I don’t want this to change anything between us. I don’t want it to be awkward. I really value our friendship. I’m so sorry if I just ruined it, but I like you. I really do. I have for a while, but I’ll try to stop if it makes you uncomfort-”

“Remus,” you say firmly as you grab his arm. 

He stops talking immediately. His eyes search yours for an answer that he realizes he probably cut off. 

“What do you always carry with you and share with me in the library?” you ask, your voice just as firm.

“Chocolate?” His brows bunch in confusion.

“And what you always, always have a fresh roll of?”

“Parchment?”

“And… I may have smelled one more thing. In the Amortentia.” You took a breath. “Your cologne.”

“My cologne?” he echoes like how you had repeated him earlier. 

You wait for him to connect the dots, pressing your lips together. 

“So you smelled chocolate, parchment and my cologne?”

“Don’t forget nail polish.”

He chuckles. He takes your hand that’s on his arm and holds it in his own. 

“What you’re saying is that I do have a chance? That Sirius was right?” 

“Sirius was right,” you laugh. 

“In that case, would you like to come with me to Hogsmeade this weekend?”

“I would love to come to Hogsmeade with you, Remus,” you answered with a smile.

Maybe Sirius does know a thing or two about girls, Remus thinks as he walks with you to your next class. 

Tags: @oursweetmoony, @pinkdaiisies, @iloveremmy, @3sriracha, @auntjezzy

[sophsicle]

okay, hold my drink *hands u cursed ancient goblet full of mead* i gotta talk my shit for a second.

ive been seeing a lot of severus snape love recently. and this is fine, obviously, y'all can love whomever you want. but. i need to rant or i will explode. if we're talking about canon. severus snape spends his adult years, seven books of it in fact, abusing children. and his excuse for this is the girl he loved (tho not enough not to join a group actively trying to exterminate her) fell for the hot jock instead of him (a tragedy indeed, i weep 4 him, i really do). and also she died, which, admittedly is very sad.

it is simply crazy 2 me 2 look at that and think *romance* or *genuine care and affection*. LIKE. fo real. snape calls her a slur in public, apologizes in private, hangs out with dudes who commit hate crimes against her friends (CANONICALLY, she says "you've been hanging out with that douchebag Mulciber, how could you do that after what he did to Mary???" this is not a direct quote but like, it's close enough). lame. loser behaviour.

"Oh but what about regulus" i can hear you say "he loves James potter but snape doesn't love lily???" well. idk. maybe. bit different tho, innit? due to james not being the demographic regulus is attacking (which doesn't make regulus a better person but does make the dynamic between him and james different). ALSO. Regulus chooses to turn against voldemort without hope for anything in return. snape doesn't seem to give a shit about voldemort, he's just sad he's not gonna get to bang lily evans. he switches sides for that reason alone. also doesn't care about what happens to her husband or her son which like. considering lily would be pretty fucking destroyed if they died. once again points to my whole, he doesn't really give a shit about her, theory. lame. loser. behaviour.

also. im sorry. I"M SORRY. but what snape does to neville? to hermione? to harry? gross. a grown ass man out here telling an eleven year old neville he's worthless or hermione she's ugly and annoying. or spilling harry's potion and refusing to grade him for it???????????????

reg and draco are children when we see them at peak suckage and therefore they feel like they can be redeemed much more compellingly (CAN be, not SHOULD be, not HAVE to be, just narratively i think they are easier to turn into interesting, sympathetic characters). but snape? snape grows up into a garbage adult. like he doesn't get better. and again, the only real excuse we're given is his obsession with lily. not very demure. not very cutesy.

ALSO. yall remember that time he got a destitute, struggling Remus Lupin fired from the best job he ever had just because he felt like it? remember that time snape weaponized Remus's lycanthropy and people's prejudice against him just cause. like. literally just cause??? his ego was bruised after the shrieking shack incident so he was like "get wrecked Lupin I'm going to tell everyone your secret so you will be forced back out onto the streets" DO YALL REMEMBER THAT BITCH ASS MOVE????????? THAT HE DID AS A FULL ADULT.

IN CONCLUSION, this is silly and, of course, like i said at the start, everyone can have their own thoughts and feelings about characters, but i simply needed to interject here on behalf of snape haters everywhere because i feel like so much of snape's shitty behaviour as an adult during a time when he was really under no duress and was very safe and cozy, is ignored. and my hater heart just cannot let that stand.

[kquil]

Hi lovely hole your well!

Can we get a hufflepuff reader x sirius

Your partnered with him for charms class that's all I've got

HER SMILE | PART 2

LENGTH : 1.4k

TAGS. : sirius being a simp ; cutie pie reader ; oblivious reader ; ravenclaw reader (im sorry for the switch!) ; fluff ; jealous sirius

A/N : hello darling! i'm finally doing well enough and not overthinking enough to tackle my requests, I'm sorry it had to take this long omg! your request is the perfect prompt to a continuation of one of my timestamps though, i hope you don't mind that i had to switch reader to a ravenclaw and enjoy the read regardless <3

PART 1 | NAVI.

Both you and Sirius made for an odd pair; people wouldn’t typically couple you together. An extrovert Gryffindor and a cold Ravenclaw. However, as of recently, many have seen you with Sirius quite often, most notably in classes and especially in partner projects. And it was all Sirius’ doing. 

Your classmates typically hesitated to partner with you, let alone sit by you for classes. They found you boring and rather unnerving to be around. You didn’t appear to enjoy being around people and took work far too seriously, so you’ve grown a bad reputation. It didn’t bother you, though; you understood that you weren’t like other people; your bashfulness manifested into a stone-cold exterior and added to the seriousness underpinning your endeavour for top academic performance. People tend to avoid you but it’s for the best, you like to tell yourself. 

After the transfiguration project with Sirius, however, whereby he was forced to partner with you, he’s kept volunteering to partner with you over and over again. Whether it be partner or group projects, he’s the first in line to be your assigned partner. He finds that the best way of doing this is sitting next to you in Ravenclaw and Gryffindor shared lessons, regardless of whether or not it leaves James, Remus or Peter without a partner. It wasn’t typical of him or anyone to be so eager around you but nobody commented on it. As it happens, many eagerly sat back to watch what would unfold.   

In the extra time Sirius has willingly spent with you in lessons, he’s confessed to the reasoning behind his odd behaviour. “I want to know more about you,” 

That was the first time he or anyone else had seen you so flustered and adorably shy. People couldn’t believe their eyes. However, owing to Sirius’ playboy reputation, it was no surprise that he was the one to draw such a reaction out of you. This was also the first time Sirius had seen a favourable increase in his class grades. Your work ethic and drive for high grades have positively influenced his performance in classes. When Remus pointed this out to him, supportive of his new friendship with you, Sirius was surprised but didn’t linger on the fact too long. He didn’t really care; he was too busy figuring out how to make you smile again and engraving the beautiful image into his brain. 

“He’s just as bad as you are James,” Peter commented, noticing the familiar lovesick look on Sirius as he’s seen with one, James Potter. You and the eldest Black brother were sitting at a distant table in the library, thoroughly going over the material before committing to your project for Charms. 

“What was that?” James comes out of his daze staring at a certain redhead. Peter and Remus share an amused look before shrugging off James’ question. Naturally, James returned to admiring an oblivious Lily Evans as Remus resumed his reading and Peter doodled on the edges of his semi-finished divination essay. 

“At least Sirius is finally focusing on one girl,” Remus comments under his breath. 

“Yeah, it was tiring,” Peter sighs in agreement and leans back with a relieved look on his face. 

“Oh! How interesting,” you comment, leaning into Sirius’ side so as to look over his book, “I didn’t know that…” As you take a moment to read over the passage, Sirius carefully observes the way your pretty features go from enraptured to delighted. Your smile is so pretty… “We have to include that in our joint essay; I’ll note it down, quickly. Good job, Sirius,” your smile is even prettier when it’s turned to him and you praise him openly like that. 

“Do I get a reward?” he asks before he can stop to think about what it is that he’s said. 

“A reward?” you tilt your head in the most adorable fashion, “Our reward will be getting the highest mark in the class,” typically, girls would jump at the opportunity to flirt back and sneak in a kiss or two but your impervious, genuine nature gives Sirius pause. Though, he’s soon throwing his head back and laughing boisterously. The panic on your face, however, reminds him of the library setting and immediately stifles his amusement.  

“You’re odd…” you comment on his strange behaviour and return to your work. But Sirius is unphased and holds his chin up with his palm to shamelessly stare at your side profile. He’s tempted to reach up and tuck a stray strand of hair behind your ear, “Get back to work, Sirius.”

“Yes ma’am.”

You won’t admit it out loud but you quite enjoy Sirius’ company. It isn’t so lonely having him around and he helps you get good grades. He’s also very funny and nice to look at. Though, you suppose that was the main downside. He can prove to be quite the distraction if he wants to be. Nevertheless, you’re happy he has the confidence to sit next to you and willingly volunteer to be your partner for all collaboration projects. Everyone in Hogwarts has admitted to having a favourite marauder and you’re not afraid to admit that he’s your favourite; he’s the easiest to smile around. 

⋅˚₊‧ ଳ ‧₊˚ ⋅

Sirius was a lover of pushing boundaries. Seeing how far he can push before high-tailing it when the first signs of danger appear was his favourite activity. That was why he was a marauder, that’s why he loved pranks, that’s why he’s been able to see you get flustered over and over again. 

Over every good thing he’s done to contribute to your projects together, no matter how small, he pleads for a reward. After some months, he’s been able to escalate the ‘reward’ from praise to a congratulatory head pat (his animagus influence), to a hug, to cuddling for extended periods to sitting on his lap and kissing him on the cheek. You become lovably ruffled every time and Sirius savours each reaction as if he’s seeing it for the first time. He always stares at you and smiles brightly when you look away. 

He wants to see more of your reactions. He wants to see you do it every day. And he likes knowing that it’s because of him. 

⋅˚₊‧ ଳ ‧₊˚ ⋅

In the year that passes, Sirius hasn’t failed to be your partner for every project you have in shared classes with Gryffindor. It was only natural that he be your partner for the final term project in D.A.D.A too. As soon as the partner project is announced, you immediately look up and meet eyes with the dark-haired Gryffindor, who had been pressured into sitting with his iconic group of friends. The two of you share a knowing smile. Everyone knows that you’re each other’s partner, nobody would dare interfere with that. 

When the teacher finally allows the class to partner up, however, you’re confronted by a boy you do not know. He looks at you expectantly and asks if you would consider being his partner for the project. You didn’t know what to say. It was utterly lost on you that the more Sirius pulled you from your cold timidity, the more you’ve willingly smiled and showed your sincerity. In turn, the more observant your other classmates have become. 

It became clear to them that you weren’t as cold as you first appear but, because of their ignorance, they overlooked that simply by the unfriendly look you routinely wore. This discovery has led to many of your male classmates growing a new appreciation for you and your unrecognised beauty; they didn’t know someone so cold could be so warm and look so beautiful. It irritated Sirius but he had been able to tolerate it. 

Up until this moment, that is…

“So… will you?” the boy prompts one more time. You don’t know what to say, your innate timidity taking away your voice and rendering your response to a mere shake of your head. ‘No’, the answer was clear. You immediately turn away from the boy and hurry to Sirius, who had observed the boy's audacity with clenched fists and a tight jaw. 

As soon as you are close enough, Sirius pulls you into his arms and tucks your face into the crook of his neck, “you’re mine,” he whispers.

“Wh-what?” You couldn’t believe your ears. 

“I mean– you’re my partner, no one else’s,” smiling up at him, you nod affirmatively and he smiles, tucking a stray strand of hair behind your ear. His gentle touch lingers and travels down to trace the line of your jaw. 

“...Do I get a reward for not punching that tosser in the nose?”

“Not punching what?” he laughs at your wide-eyed stare of disbelief.

“For being a Ravenclaw, you’re not very smart,” 

NAVI.

A/N : again, i'm so sorry for the switch but i hope you still enjoyed reading this x

TAGLIST : @marauderssmut @ohmylordydordy @n1ght-vngel @ddeathday (the darlings that wanted a part 2 and had to wait the longest time -- it's a short list so it's an exception to my no taglists rule)

[kathryn-maraudersversion]

The Serpents and Stars Pt 10

Summary: After the tense conversation between Regulus and Sirius, things are still far from fixed. But progress isn’t always loud—it’s in the quiet moments, the tentative steps forward. And maybe, just maybe, this is the start of something new.

Pairing: Poly!Marauders (James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin) x Slytherin!Fem!Reader

Pt 1 Pt 2 Pt 3 Pt 4 Pt 5 Pt 6 Pt 7 Pt 8 Pt 9 Pt 10 Pt11

The fire in the Slytherin common room crackled, filling the silence between you all. No one had moved much since the last words were spoken, as if breaking the moment would shatter whatever fragile understanding had just been reached.

Regulus sat stiffly in his chair, arms crossed, his sharp gaze flicking toward Sirius every few seconds, as if bracing for another fight. Sirius, on the other hand, was trying to look relaxed, but you could see the way his fingers tapped against his knee, his restlessness betraying him.

James and Remus had settled in, but you could tell they were just as uncertain about the situation. James, ever the optimist, looked like he wanted to make a joke to break the tension, but even he seemed to know better.

You took a deep breath, forcing yourself to speak. “So… that went well.”

Regulus shot you a dry look. “Did it?”

Sirius huffed a laugh, shaking his head. “Well, we didn’t hex each other, so I’d call that progress.”

Regulus didn’t dignify that with a response.

Dorcas, who had been quiet through most of this, finally spoke up. “If we’re going to keep doing this, you lot should probably learn how to be in the same room without all of us holding our breath.”

Barty snickered. “I don’t know, I think the tension is rather entertaining.” He leaned back against the couch, clearly enjoying the drama.

Pandora shot him a look before turning to you. “But she’s right. If you really want them to get along, they need to learn how to exist without wanting to strangle each other.”

You sighed, running a hand through your hair. “I don’t expect them to suddenly be best mates, but…” You hesitated, glancing between the two brothers. “I just don’t want to keep choosing sides.”

Sirius frowned at that, his expression softening. “You’re not choosing sides.”

Regulus scoffed. “That’s rich, coming from you.”

Sirius tensed again, but this time, instead of snapping back, he took a deep breath. He ran a hand through his dark hair, exhaling slowly. “Look, Reg, I know I’m the last person you want to hear this from, but I don’t hate you.”

Regulus blinked, clearly not expecting that. “I never said you did.”

Sirius tilted his head, studying his younger brother. “You didn’t have to.”

The silence that followed was almost unbearable.

Remus, ever the voice of reason, finally leaned forward, his tone gentle. “You don’t have to forgive each other overnight. No one’s expecting that. But maybe… just consider that this doesn’t have to be a fight, both of you at least do it for y/n.”

Regulus looked down then to you, his fingers tightening into fists before he relaxed them. He didn’t speak right away, but when he did, his voice was quieter. “I’ll think about it.”

That was the best you could ask for, for now.

James clapped his hands together, shattering the tension. “Well, that’s progress. At this rate, we’ll be singing campfire songs by the end of the year.”

Regulus shot him an unimpressed look, but there was no real venom behind it.

It had been a couple days and things weren’t amazing, but they weren’t bad either the marauders had more officially been introduced to your friends.

Which is why you weren’t sure how this had happened.

One minute, you were in the library, enjoying the blissful silence of an empty corner. The next, Lily Evans had appeared like some righteous, freckled menace, flanked by Mary Macdonald and Marlene McKinnon.

You stared at them. They stared back.

You resisted the urge to glance over your shoulder. Surely, this was a mistake.

“What do you want?” you asked, voice sharp.

Lily, to her credit, didn’t flinch. “We want to talk.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Talk?”

Mary smiled. “Yeah, you know. A conversation. You’re dating three of our boys, so we figured we should at least get to know you.”

Your lips curled. “Dating is a strong word.”

Marlene snorted. “Right. Because James looks at you like you hung the bloody stars for him purely as a hobby.”

You rolled your eyes, shifting in your seat. “And if I don’t want to talk?”

Lily crossed her arms. “Then we’ll sit here in silence and make you uncomfortable until you do.”

You blinked. “That’s blackmail.”

“That’s friendship,” Mary corrected with a grin.

You narrowed your eyes at them. They weren’t leaving. And worse they weren’t being hostile. You were prepared for anger, judgment, insults about your house. You weren’t prepared for kindness.

You sighed, tapping your nails against the table. “Fine. Say whatever it is you came to say.”

Mary rested her chin in her hand. “So, tell us. What’s so special about you that the three most obliviously love-struck idiots in Hogwarts are obsessed?”

You scoffed. “You tell me.”

Lily hummed. “You’re sarcastic.”

Marlene smirked. “You’re confident.”

Mary grinned. “And you look like you could kill a man and not blink about it.”

You shrugged. “All very true statements.”

Lily tilted her head. “But you’re also guarded.”

You froze for half a second before forcing a smirk. “Maybe I just don’t trust easily.”

Mary gave you a knowing look. “You don’t.”

Marlene and Mary exchanged a look before Marlene leaned forward, propping her chin on her hand.

“You’re really pretty.”

You blinked. “What?”

Mary grinned. “Yeah, you are. It’s kind of unfair, actually.”

Lily nodded, tilting her head. “The green tie and the whole ‘mysterious and brooding’ thing definitely work in your favour.”

You opened your mouth, then closed it. Out of all the things they could have said this was not what you expected.

“You lot cornered me in the library to tell me I’m pretty?”

“Among other things,” Mary said cheerfully.

You stared at them, then scoffed. “You Gryffindors are ridiculous.”

Marlene grinned. “And you’re dodging the compliment.”

Your fingers tightened around your book. You didn’t know how to handle this. You knew how to handle insults, how to fight back. But being called pretty? You could feel heat creeping up your neck.

“Alright,” you said, standing abruptly. “This has been weird. I’m leaving.”

Mary grabbed your wrist before you could bolt. “Oh, come on. We’re just messing with you.”

“Are you?” you asked dryly.

Lily smiled. “Partially. But we do mean it.”

You hesitated. There was something disarming about them. They weren’t pushing, but they weren’t letting you run, either. It was almost… Marauder-like.

A voice interrupted your thoughts.

“Evans, are you stealing my girlfriend?”

You turned to see James, Sirius, and Remus approaching, all wearing varying degrees of amusement.

“Girlfriend?” you echoed, raising an eyebrow.

James shrugged, dropping into the seat beside you and throwing an arm over your shoulders. “They’re calling you pretty, love. Feels like competition.”

Mary smirked. “Maybe we are competition.”

Sirius snorted, plopping down across from you. “Sorry, Macdonald, but we’ve already claimed her.”

Lily rolled her eyes. “Claimed her? She’s not a Quidditch broom, Black.”

James grinned. “No, but she is ours.”

You tensed. The words sent something sharp and unfamiliar through your chest. You weren’t used to being someone’s.

Remus, ever perceptive, nudged your foot under the table. When you glanced at him, his expression was soft.

You let out a breath. They’re not trapping you. They’re holding you.

Lily watched the exchange, then turned back to you. “Well, whatever they are to you, just know we’re not the enemy.”

You eyed her. “I’ll believe that when you stop glaring at Sirius every time, he breathes near you.”

Sirius put a hand over his heart. “Tragic. I suffer every day.”

Lily rolled her eyes but didn’t deny it.

You exhaled, running a hand through your hair. “Fine. I’ll… tolerate you lot.”

Mary beamed. “That’s the spirit.”

Marlene grinned. “And if you ever need a break from these three, you can always sit with us.”

James pouted. “Betrayal.”

You smirked. “Careful, Potter. I just might take them up on that.”

James narrowed his eyes, then tackled you against his chest in protest, pressing a dramatic kiss to your temple.

You shoved him away, but you were smiling.

Maybe the Gryffindor girls weren’t so bad after all.

Authors Note: sorry that its been a while guys i've been super busy I actually adore the gryffindor girls in this so i hope yall do too. Also please interact if you want to stay tagged. xx

Taglist: @amatoanima @nymanas @flaviaandbooks @bridkesby @yvessentials @treefairy-28 @maraudersgirlsposts @navs-bhat @ill-be-okay-soon-enough @zoleea-exultant @hermionelove @starmaniii @kitcat912 @hopperbopper @forgottenandfree @b-i-h-i @nahhoz @jillyun @mysexy-anxiety @msmarklee1213 @luv-wonyoungism @bellatrixscurls @psychobitchsthings @chicken-flux @marina468 @sherwoodforesttales

[solsticehymns]

TOO GOOD TO BE FAKE: CHAPTER 5

JAMES POTTER X F!READER

a/n: YAYYYY CHAPTER 5 OUT EARLY!!! i've been so so appreciative of all the love for this series 🥹 i figured it was the least i could do to get my ass up and edit the rest of it. hehehehe enjoyyyyy!!! ☀️🌻

series page for prev chapters

wc: 2197

5: Too Good to Be Fake

— 1 —

The next few days pass in a blur, and my real life and my fake life begin to meld all the same.

It’s subtle at first—little things, easy things. James slinging an arm over my shoulder in the corridor, without thinking about it, his hand drifting naturally to my waist when we squeeze through crowds. Me leaning into his touch on instinct, him whispering a joke just for me in class, both of us laughing too effortlessly.

The stares haven’t stopped. The whispers haven’t faded.

But somehow, I don’t care as much anymore.

Or maybe—I don’t care why they’re watching.

It’s not just the school anymore, though. It’s our friends. Alice and Jade don’t even try to hide their amusement anymore. Sirius has started giving James looks. Remus has started watching me.

Lily Evans has started paying more attention, too.

It’s another Saturday when I realize how far I’ve let this go: Quidditch practice.

I would never normally go to these. I’ve never had a reason to sit in the stands, watching a group of sweaty Gryffindors hurl themselves through the sky while screaming at each other.

But today, I’m here.

I keep telling myself it’s for appearances. People have to see me invested, have to see me acting like a real girlfriend. I bring a book, find a spot on the stands, fold my legs beneath me, and pretend I’m not watching James too closely.

I tell myself it’s just part of the plan. Making it look believable.

And then Lily arrives.

She doesn’t sit. She stands at the base of the stands, arms folded across her chest, gaze fixed on the pitch. I know who she’s watching, everyone does.

James cuts through the sky like he was born to be there, all fluid motion and instinct, his windswept hair a perfect mess, his body moving with a confidence that’s utterly effortless. The sun glints off his grin, bright and reckless, like he’s drunk on the thrill of it, and I feel that familiar lurch within me again—something warm, something unsteady, curling deep in my stomach before I can shove it away.

Lily tilts her head slightly.

Then, she glances back at me; and suddenly, it’s not just a game anymore. She’s watching me watch him. A challenge, a test.

Suddenly, I realize—this isn’t about her anymore. It’s not about making her jealous, and it’s not about Simon either. Because the thing unnerving me the most isn’t that Lily Evans is watching me.

It’s that James Potter hasn’t looked at her once.

— 2 —

The courtyard is quiet in the early evening, the last flickers of sunlight stretching long across the stone pathways. The air is crisp, cool enough to wake me up a little, but not cold enough to be uncomfortable. I tell myself that’s why I’m lingering here instead of heading back to the dorms.

Not because I’m waiting for him, and not because I know he’ll find me. But then he does.

James’ footsteps are easy to recognize—a little too confident, a little too deliberate, like he’s always walking into a room expecting something fun to happen. But here, now, he doesn’t say anything right away. He just falls into steps beside me, hands tucked into his pockets, like this is normal. Like it’s always been normal.

I glance at him. “What are you doing?”

James shrugs. “Dunno. Seemed like you wanted company.”

I huff, turning my gaze back to the darkening sky. “Oh, right. I always exude warmth and openness.”

James chuckles, nudging my arm. “You say that, but you haven’t told me to leave yet.”

I don’t respond. Because… he’s right.

The pause stretches, the courtyard filled only with the sound of leaves rustling in the breeze. For a second, while it’s just the two of us, walking in relative silence, it’s nice. Easy. Comfortable in a way I don’t have time to question.

Then James exhales, a little deeper than necessary, and leans against the railing beside me.

“You know,” he says, “you’re kind of terrible at taking a compliment.” His tone is too light, too airy for the kind of comment he’d just made.

I frown, caught off guard. “What?”

His gaze flickers to mine, and something in his expression softens—just slightly, but enough that it throws me off balance. “I mean, when I do something nice, you just… get awkward and run away.”

I blink at him. “That is— so not true.”

James lifts an eyebrow. “Oh? So last week when I said you looked nice, and you immediately knocked over your drink and changed the subject, what was that?”

I open my mouth— close it.

He smirks. “Exactly.”

I turn my face and look down the path we’re following, blinking, genuinely considering. “You just catch me off guard, that’s all.”

“Right,” he says sarcastically, “because the idea of me being nice to you is so shocking.”

“Yes, actually,” I quip, but the words come out lighter than I mean them to.

And that’s when James does something dangerous.

He shifts closer—just a little, just enough. His shoulder brushes mine, his voice lower now, softer. “You know, I like being nice to you.”

My stomach twists—thrilled, unsteady, completely betraying me. I let out a laugh, too quick, too high-pitched, a little too obviously forced.

James watches me, expression unreadable, but there’s something knowing in his gaze, something patient, like he’s waiting for me to catch up to something he’s already figured out.

“Alright,” I say, pushing away from the railing, not letting this get any more real than it already is, not letting myself think too hard about it. “This has been fun, but I’m going to—”

“Walk away before you have to acknowledge that you actually like me?” James finishes for me, eyes glinting with amusement.

I huff, already turning on my heel. “Exactly.”

I don’t get very far. James is right behind me, catching up too easily, too effortlessly, like he always does. “Merlin, if you wanted me to chase you, you could’ve just asked. Would’ve saved us both some time.”

I throw him a glance over my shoulder, my lips curving just enough to make his eyes flicker. "Where’s the fun in that? I like to keep you on your toes, Potter."

James huffs, but the way he watches me—like he's already planning his next move—sends something dangerously close to excitement skittering through me.

We’re walking towards one of the large entrances to the castle from the courtyard— there are some more students around now to witness our little interaction. He’s still beside me, still too close, still too smug.

“So what I’m hearing,” he muses, tilting his head, “is that you like me exactly where I am.”

I roll my eyes, but I don’t speed up. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

James only grins, falling into step beside me like he belongs there. “Too late.”

— 3 —

The castle is cooler in the evening, the last remnants of daylight casting long shadows through the stone archways. The halls are quieter now, but not empty—the low murmur of conversation lingers, footsteps echo in different directions, and clusters of students drift toward their common rooms, pausing now and then to whisper as James and I pass. My footsteps sync with his, the weight of his presence beside me something I’ve stopped questioning. It’s been like this all week—effortless, natural, dangerously easy. And maybe that’s why I don’t notice her at first. Maybe that’s why I don’t realize we have an audience until it’s too late.

Lily Evans is waiting just inside the entrance hall.

She’s leaning against the wall, arms crossed, posture relaxed, but there’s something unreadable in her expression. She isn’t blocking our path, isn’t doing anything at all, really—just watching. Watching us. Her gaze flickers between me and James, taking in the casual way we’re walking together, how close we are, the way his fingers brush against my wrist when he gestures absentmindedly.

She sees it all.

James notices her just a second after I do, and though his steps falter, it’s barely noticeable. I feel the shift in his presence, the way something in him tightens, like he’s bracing for impact. But when Lily finally speaks, her voice is light, almost gossiping, like she’s indulging a passing curiosity rather than confirming something she already suspects.

"You know," she says, tilting her head slightly, "you two make sense together. I see it."

And James—James preens.

I see it happen in real time. The way his shoulders straighten, the way his lips curve just slightly at the edges. It’s instinctive, automatic, like some deeply ingrained part of him just got the validation he never even thought to ask for. He doesn’t hesitate, doesn’t check my reaction. He just moves.

I can’t even react— his fingers tighten around my wrist, spinning me expertly into him. Somehow it feels like we’ve done this a hundred times before, like we’ve been moving toward this exact moment without even knowing it. His free hand settles at my waist, warm and steady, pulling me close in a way that leaves no space, no room for doubt.

And then he kisses me.

It’s not for show. Not a performance. His lips press against mine, sure and unhurried, like he’s settling into something that’s already his. Heat flares at the base of my spine, climbing fast, white-hot flames licking up through my chest. His fingers flex slightly at my waist, like he’s anchoring himself, like he’s making sure I don’t pull away before he’s had his fill of this moment—of me.

The warmth of him crashes through me, a spark to dry tinder, setting every nerve alight. His lips move against mine, confident but measured, and for a second—just a second—I let myself fall into it. I feel the way he’s leaning in, the way he’s holding me there, the way his breath mingles with mine, like we exist in a pocket of air separate from the world.

But we don’t.

The corridor isn’t empty. The world doesn’t disappear. Students slow their steps, voices hush, a ripple of whispers spreading like wildfire. I hear someone inhale sharply, catch the flicker of movement in my periphery as people pause outright, wide-eyed, watching like they’ve just witnessed something they shouldn’t have.

And they have. Because this isn’t a show. This isn’t a play. It’s real, it’s burning through me, and it’s happening in front of everyone.

I break first.

I pull away too fast, too obviously flustered. I’ve probably ruined everything. I should’ve just played along— like he said to me before, enjoy the experience. I could’ve done that. Now I lost my chance.

James doesn’t move right away. He stays close, his breath still warm against my skin, eyes searching mine for something I can’t name. The silence stretches between us, heavy, lingering, filled with something I am not ready to understand.

Lily clears her throat, but she’s smiling now, something small and knowing. She looks between us, her eyes glinting with something close to amusement.

"Yeah," she says, tilting her head slightly. "I knew it. You two are really cute together."

She doesn’t linger. She just gives James one last look—something approving, something almost pleased—before turning on her heel and walking away, leaving us standing there in the weight of what just happened.

I scramble for something to say, but my mind is blank, wiped clean by whatever the hell just happened. My skin is burning, my pulse erratic, my body betraying me in ways I can’t even begin to process.

I force a laugh, light and dismissive, as if my heart isn’t trying to claw its way out of my chest. "Merlin, James," I say, shaking my head, playing it off, forcing the act back into place even as my hands tremble. "You could at least warn me before you go proving a point like that."

James watches me carefully. Too carefully.

And then, just like that, the mask slips back into place.

The easy grin. The effortless charm. The one thing he’s always been good at.

"Where’s the fun in that?" he teases, voice smooth, casual, like he’s not still standing closer than he should be.

The tension in the air is suffocating.

I step back. I need distance, space, air.

"Right," I mutter, my voice too light, too forced. "Well, this has been fun, but I should go—"

James doesn’t say anything. He just watches me, his expression unreadable, like he’s waiting for something I can’t give him. The silence between us stretches, thick, heavy, a question neither of us is ready to ask.

And then, because I can’t take it, because my heart is still slamming against my ribs, because the ground beneath me suddenly feels unsteady—I run.

I barely register the students still watching, barely hear the whispers that are sure to follow me. All I know is that I need to get away, to breathe, to pretend for just a little while longer that none of this means anything.

Run run run.

But no matter how fast I move, I already know—there’s no outrunning this.

Next in series: 6: Liar

☀️🌻

[oh-phoenixx]

"Wound" - Jegulus microfic - 707 words

-

Regulus was not one for showing his emotions, he took pride in his ability to appear indifferent even as his whole body was screaming with something contrasting. This was the first time since he was a child that he could not hide what he was feeling. Like some gaping wound, a hole in his chest, he was bearing it clearly and with shame.

What was worse was that it had gone exactly according to plan, James had been so angry and they had broken up, which is what needed to happen so that Regulus could do what he was intending to do. But what he hadn’t expected was how, more than angry, James had been sad, had cried and begged for Regulus to say that it was some misunderstanding. Regulus had nearly given in, told him everything. But he couldn’t, not with how long he had been planning this.

“You ready?” Evan asked, voice gentle. 

“Yeah, I’m ready,” Regulus agreed, standing up.

“We don’t have to do this, Reg,” Evan reminded him.

“I have to,” Regulus mumbled. “James reacted the way he was supposed to. I can’t give up the entire plan just because I didn’t anticipate how much this would hurt.”

Together, Regulus, Evan, and Barty left for the cave. Together, they emerged, Regulus still exhausted from the Emerald Potion. Together, they found each of the Horcruxes. Together, they survived.

Unsure of what else to do, Regulus suggested they go to Sirius and Remus’s flat. If anyone was going to hear him out, it would be Sirius.

Regulus knocked hesitantly and the door opened, revealing not Sirius, but James, who eyed Regulus with so many emotions that he couldn’t decipher a single one.

“Hi,” Regulus said dumbly.

“Hi,” James said back.

Requiring no further elaboration, James let them in. The four walked to the living room, where Sirius was sitting with Remus, Peter, Marlene, and Lily. Sirius’s eyes widened at the sight of his brother and, without asking for an explanation, he lunged forward and hugged Regulus.

“A year. A fucking year,” Sirius was muttering, “without a single word.”

“I’m sorry, we couldn’t…we couldn’t tell anyone,” Regulus mumbled.

As they explained, Regulus did not look away from James for even a second. Please, please understand, please love me, I love you, I never stopped. James’s expression was indecipherable, and it all felt wrong. When they were together, James had been the emotional one, wearing his heart on his sleeve, and Regulus had been carefully apathetic. This was the exact opposite, and Regulus hated it.

“Why would you do that alone? Why wouldn’t you tell us?” Sirius asked.

“You’d try to convince me not to do it,” Regulus answered quietly. “And I wasn’t alone.”

“Yeah, fuck you, we were with him the whole time,” Barty cut in, grinning. He had not shown any sign of fear or sadness in the entire year they had taken to find all the Horcruxes.

Regulus did not say another word, not until James gestured towards the kitchen so they could have a moment alone. His throat was tight with nerves, hands trembling. James rendered him incompetent, made him foolish and childish and so, so desperate.

In the kitchen, James leaned against the counter while Regulus stood opposite him, wanting to be close and not sure if he was allowed.

“I know…I know why you didn’t tell me, okay? I- I get it,” James started, “but that doesn’t mean that I can suddenly be okay with what happened. You…you still got the mark, you still left for a year. I can’t just move on from those things.”

“I’m not asking you to,” Regulus assured quickly, then shrunk into himself a little, feeling vulnerable and exposed. “Is there…Is there no chance?”

James reached out his hand, and as Regulus took it and allowed himself to be pulled towards James, a little spark of hope warming his chest. That always was the effect James had on him. Nothing had changed, not really. Save a mark on his forearm and a few new scars, Regulus was the same person he had been. He hoped James could see that.

“Of course there’s a chance, Reg,” James whispered into Regulus’s hair. “I’ll always give you a chance.”

[maybetheyredrunk]

tw: angst, self-harm, suicide attempts, death.

REGULUS BLACK

Regulus is heartbroken when James and Lily starts dating.

He doesn't realise why.

And then Remus is talking about Sirius, and saying similar things to what's in his head. "He makes me feel loved, and safe, and wanted. The way he laughs, the way he talks. That's why I love him." And that's when Regulus realises. Oh shit, maybe I love him. The way he smiles, the way he laughs, the way James is the sun to his sky.

James is oblivious for a while.

But then Lily realises she doesn't love James the way she feels like she should.

James and Lily break up, stay friends, and James realises he loves Regulus. The way he smiles, when James gets his attention, or he reads a book that he loves. The quietness. The way he bursts out with his opinions if he feels strongly about something. Regulus finally loving the person who he wants to, openly.

They go up to the Astronomy tower each Sunday, just talking. Each Sunday turns into twice a week. Twice a week into every other day. Every other day into every day. And they're so happy. And Sirius is all "You're dating my baby brother!" and "Brotherfucker." and "Ugh.", but inside he's so happy to see Regulus loving someone openly and fully. And Remus supports the both of them, and so does Peter, and Lily, and Dorcas, and Marlene.

Then Walburga and Orion make Regulus get the Dark Mark.

He's screaming, crying, begging them not to. "Please Mom, please Dad, I can't lose this." Throwing himself in front of them, trying to run away.

Him eventually realising: It doesn't work.

So he gets the Mark. Stays silent as the needle punctures his flesh over and over again.

And then runs to Hogwarts.

Regulus sobbing in the common room of Slytherin, arm swollen and bleeding as he tries to rip the ink out of his skin with his nails, held by an equally sad Evan and Barty.

Sobbing because he's going to lose his brother again, going to lose his friends, his boyfriend, because of ink that he didn't want.

Him trying to grab a knife, scissors. Evan and Barty have to restrain him and watch him constantly, making sure he doesn't carve out flesh from his bones.

So the Dark Mark is permanent.

And Regulus would rather see his boyfriend, the love of his life, not know him, rather than see James hate him for what he didn't want to become.

So he goes to the Astronomy tower after having ignored James for weeks. James didn't know why.

And he tells him. "I got the Mark." And shows him his arm.

And James' eyes widen.

And then - "Wait Reg-"

Regulus sobbing out one word, doubled over in pain, wishing he could go to James. One word.

"Obliviate."

And Regulus erases all of James' memories of him, he's powerful and precise enough to.

And James leaves the tower, confused as to why he went up there in the first place.

And Regulus is sobbing, tears running down his face, hair messed up, clutching at the railing of the tower, wishing he could get the mark away, would do anything. Anything to ease the pain.

He climbs onto the rail. Decides life isn't really worth living anymore, not without his sun. Evan and Barty see him, and run for him, and barely manage to catch him in time.

He makes three more attempts before realising he can't.

So he runs.

Runs so he doesn't have to see that James and Lily get back together, happy and oblivious. Lily's confused as to what happened to Regulus. Regulus who disappeared. Runs so he doesn't have to face Sirius, his disappointment and anger. Runs so Remus can't find him, his kind words and gentleness would make him unravel. Runs so none of his friends can follow. Barty and Evan search for a long time. But they never find him.

James is 18 when Regulus leaves. He's 17. Regulus dies the same year. Trying to make a difference. Regretting that he didn't earlier.

And as he lies on the cold hard ground of the island, Kreacher beside him, holding his stomach in pain from the liquid, but the Horcrux destroyed, he thinks. Of James. Of his smile. Of his laugh. Of his kisses. The way he lit up Regulus' world, because he was the sun to Regulus' sky, because Regulus needed James to be bright.

And he thinks. I'm sorry. He's left a note.

But he doesn't expect James to find it. Ever.

Regulus is 17 when he dies.

And he wishes that he had longer.

But even the brightest stars all fade.

thanks to @sweetmelodygraphics for the dividers!! Her work is amazing, please go check it out.

@into-the-jeggyverse @noblehouseofgay @my-castles-crumbling @reggie-the-starboy @ultravioletbrit @strawberrystainedfingertips7 @caiiius @iamgayforyourmom1510 @wh0re-for-w0lfstar

[accio-sriracha]

Tell me to stop.

A Jily One-Shot <3

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

James watched her face, waiting for the moment it would break into that little half smile she always used to give when he complimented her.

It didn't.

He didn't know why he hoped for it anymore, she hadn't smiled like that at him in months. Something had happened between them, something he couldn't explain.

"Evans." He called later that day, trying to get her attention again, "You look beautiful today."

She didn't even spare him a glance, continuing her studying like he wasn't even there. Mary looked up and gave him a strange apologetic expression, then turned back to her own work.

Things had never been weirder.

The next day he decided to try again, he waited until she was alone this time, tired of those pitiful looks from her friends, the same friends who used to laugh and roll their eyes good-naturedly at his antics.

They knew something he didn't, that much was obvious.

"Evans." He tried to make his voice casual, "Did you write down the lecture today for charms? I must have misplaced it."

She opened her bag without replying, pulling out her notes and holding it out to him, never meeting his eyes.

"Um... thanks." He mumbled.

She simply nodded and went back to reading.

He sighed when he was back in his dorm, setting the notes next to his already finished assignment.

"Still not talking to you?" Remus asked, watching him carefully. James nodded,

"I don't know what's going on. She hasn't insulted me in ages."

He rose an eyebrow, "Shouldn't that be a good thing?"

"No, something's different. She won't even look at me anymore." James leaned back on his pillows, wishing he could understand where it was he went wrong, "She used to at least acknowledge me."

"Do you think you finally pushed it too far?" Remus' voice was as gentle as it could be. James groaned,

"Merlin, I did, didn't I?" He sat up again, "I swear everything was fine up until a few months ago, she never looked uncomfortable or I would've stopped immediately."

"I know, James." Remus stood and walked over to his bed, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Maybe you should go make sure she knows that."

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Moony."

Remus nodded and stepped out of the way so he could leave. He grabbed her notes and trudged back down the steps.

"Evans, I-" He froze when he saw her sitting there, exactly where she had been just minutes ago.

Only now, she was crying.

"Not the time, Potter." Alice warned him, moving to stand between them.

He nodded, setting the notes down on the table and quickly making his way back upstairs.

"What happened?" Remus asked when he caught sight of the look on his face.

"She was crying." He whispered.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

The room was silent. Remus cleared his throat after a long while,

"Sirius and Pete should be here soon. We can all head to dinner together, if you want?"

When James didn't react Remus pulled him into a sudden hug, holding him tight until he could feel James' breathing even out.

"Thanks, Moony." He whispered. Remus nodded,

"'Course, mate."

"Is something going on today?" Sirius asked when he and Peter entered the room to find James' face buried in Remus' shoulder, "Why does everyone in the tower look so upset?"

James could feel Remus subtly shake his head at Sirius. There weren't any other comments on it as they passed the girls to head to dinner.

Once they were sitting down and eating, James felt a little better, he hadn't realised how tense he'd gotten. Sirius' presence beside him made him feel a little more like himself.

"She just ignored you?" Peter asked incredulously when the events were finally recounted for them, "She usually calls you a toerag or something, doesn't she?"

James nodded, his voice a little wistful as he spoke, "I know, and she always smiles when she says it too."

"What changed?" Sirius asked, "You said it's only been the last few months, do you remember the last thing you said before things got weird between you?"

James shook his head, "It wasn't anything I haven't already told her a thousand times. I've been doing this for seven years, Pads, I can't exactly come up with tons of new material."

"Maybe that was the problem... Maybe you've done this for too long." Peter offered. Remus sighed,

"You won't find out what's wrong by guessing. She looked really upset. Maybe just try to talk with her when you're both a little calmer and see how you can fix things that way."

James nodded, "Yeah, you're right."

"Isn't he always?" Sirius laughed.

"Oh, here they come." Peter nodded towards the door. Lily, Mary, Alice, and Dorcas had just walked through, followed closely by Frank and Marlene.

"I should go talk to her." James said, standing up. Sirius' eyes went wide,

"Now?" He asked.

"Better than sitting here in awkward silence all dinner."

He walked over to the group, who stopped a few steps away from him.

"Er... Evans? Can I talk to you for a second?" He asked carefully.

Lily looked surprised, hesitating as she glanced at Marlene.

"It's important." He added.

"Sure." She whispered after some time had passed, "I'll catch up with you guys."

He walked her over to the wall, bringing them far away from everyone else, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry." He whispered.

Her eyes narrowed and she frowned slightly, he couldn't help thinking about how much he missed her smile.

"For what?"

"Everything?" He laughed, "I mean, I've been chasing you for like seven years. I know I've been annoying."

"You aren't annoying." She replied, but even he could tell it was unsure.

"You don't have to lie to me." He shook his head and took a small step closer, "I should have asked you if you were uncomfortable a long time ago. For whatever reason I always liked to think I know you better than I actually do and that I could tell when things would bother you. But I couldn't. I upset you somehow and-"

"Potter-" She started. He shook his head,

"No, please, I need to say this. I'm sorry I didn't considered your feelings. I was so absorbed in my own world I never stopped to think that maybe this was really hurting you, maybe you were just pretending to laugh or maybe you actually meant it when you told me to go away."

He glanced towards their friends, all of whom were watching them in interest. He was immeditaley greatful he had made the decision to pull her out of hearing range.

"I'm listening now." He told her, looking back into her eyes, "I won't ever take this for granted again. Tell me to stop, and I'll stop. I promise. I'm sorry I let things go on this long. I actually do care about your feelings, and I'm sorry if I made it seem like I didn't."

"Potter?" She whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I like you."

He laughed, expecting a punchline.

It didn't come.

He froze, "What?"

"I like you." She repeated, staring at him in a way she never had before. At least, not a way he'd ever seen.

He shook his head. This was a joke, right?

"Like..."

"I'm in love with you."

Nothing in that moment could have torn his eyes away from her.

"You like me?" He whispered, needing to say the words out loud, "You- You're in love with me?"

It didn't make sense. Lily Evans? In love with him?

This had to be a dream, or a prank, or a cruel, cruel version of an early birthday gift she planned to take back later.

But then... the feeling of saying the words aloud.

He kept staring at her, wondering briefly if his jaw had actually managed to hit the floor yet.

She sighed, realising he didn't believe her,

"I'm being serious, Potter." She reached out a hand to touch his arm, "I mean it."

He could feel somewhere in the back of his mind a part of him perk up at the opportunity for the Sirius joke, but it didn't come either, his whole being so totally enamored with everything about the girl in front of him.

The girl he'd been in love with for seven years.

The girl who just told him that she loved him too.

She twisted a strand of hair between her fingertips, a nervous habit he'd always adored,

"I thought it was some joke you were pulling. Pretending to like me because it was funny to you and your friends. I didn't realise you actually..." The sentence broke off and she shook her head.

He reached out and took her hand, "Merlin, Lily. Of course I meant it. Every word." He gave a quiet, disbelieving laugh, "I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember. I meant everything I've ever said to you."

She looked up at him then, and when their eyes met he swore he felt fireworks erupt from every cell in his body.

He couldn't believe this was happening.

She loved him.

And the smile she gave then, the one he'd been waiting for for months, was so bright it took his breath away.

"I am in love with you Lily Evans." He whispered, needing to say these words aloud too, "And I'm sorry that I ever made you feel like I wasn't."

He waited for her to reply, she stared at him for a moment.

And then the most wonderful thing happened.

She kissed him.

He felt his brain short-circuit for a solid few seconds before he remembered he was allowed to kiss her back.

His curved his hands gently around her face, stepping closer so their bodies intertwined.

He couldn't tell how long they kissed for, but he knew then this was a moment he would remember for the rest of his life.

"I love you, James Potter. Even if you are an insufferable toerag." She smiled.

And merlin did he love that smile.

Cheering from their table caught their attention, all of their friends were standing up, clapping and shouting their congratulations. He glanced towards the staff table to see McGonagall's approving smile.

Lily Evans loved him.

And James Potter could never be happier.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

[deathnguts]

Hot single father regulus x pining middle school teacher Barty with a bit of an age gap and also past romantic moonwater and Teddy being a cutie pie hear me out

So this is based on my last post where I brought up absent father Remus so single father regulus and how Barty would’ve been step dad material to their kid Teddy but in there I said Teddy was like 4, ok same concept but Teddy’s like 10 and Barty’s his on the younger side (like 22, this is his first year being a full time teacher) maths teacher and also his soccer coach so he’s a relatively big presence in Teddy’s school life and Teddy’s a good kid but he gets up to mischief sometimes and with his games every other Saturday it’s not crazy for Barty to have to interact with his father and fuck Barty has never been more mad to be doing the job he trained to do because it’s unprofessional to flirt with parents. Why does one of his favorite students’ dads have to be so hot with such a smooth voice and piercing eyes and he’s single?? But Barty can’t do anything about it because he’s a parent?? This is hell, Barty’s in hell.

(Also before I continue regulus would be like 27-28 because I’m an advocate for regulus being older than Barty and also it makes the most sense with regulus having had a teen pregnancy and then Teddy being 10, and I imagine Remus would be like 30+ because I enjoy making his age gap with regulus on the cusp of problematic thanks)

Or that’s what Barty thinks, until one of his college buddies who majored in finance (Evan, who may I add was a senior when Barty was a freshman and they just kept in touch occasionally because Evan literally has no friends and has no desire to make more) meets up with him again asking if he wants to go out for drinks and teaching middle schoolers math makes a man want to drink so he says yes immediately before Evan can mention he’s bringing another friend of his own and oh sweet Jesus Barty’s suddenly sitting knee to knee with Teddy’s hot dad at the bar on a Saturday night. He’s off the clock and no where near school grounds so… what happens happens, right?

Regulus isn’t a one night stand guy, especially not after having raised a son on his own, so I don’t imagine anything crazy happens that night but Barty’s already down bad that just being able to talk to regulus outside a school setting makes his heart race and his crush shift to downright miserable yearning. He bothers Evan to invite regulus to more things to get the excuse to see regulus outside of school and regulus pretends not to notice because he likes Barty but wouldn’t catch himself making the first move on his sons teacher, that’s just crazy (as if he’s not going to pounce on that teacher the second he makes the first move)

And we can imagine it’s like hot and heavy tension, but I think it’d be sweet if the final straw that breaks the camels back is actually Teddy having the ‘do you like my dad, Mr Crouch?’ Talk with Barty and then it’s Teddy who essentially tells them to get together when he invites his coach over to his house to ‘practice drills’ and then says ‘oh look my dads here you guys should talk about how I don’t have a second parent bye’ because Teddy’s a half fatherless boy who just likes having his favorite teacher around and then it’s that that really cements to both parties that this is really ok even if it’s unprofessional because no one’s upset and they can take this seriously beyond flirting without fearing a school walk of shame over it

Wham bam I love making regulus a parent in aus and Barty is a fucking dog over him in every universe so *kicks this at you like Teddy kicks soccer balls into his teammates stomachs*

[andreafmn]

You'll Feel Better | Remus Lupin Oneshot

Word Count: 3.8K Requested by @blackloveangel13: "Remus Lupin" Paring: Remus Lupin x Fem!Reader

Summary: It had always been a running joke between the Marauders that Remus always had chocolate on him. But (Y/N) didn't know how it had started. After James, in a cruel attempt at a hurtful joke, reveals the reason to (Y/N) she can't help but make it her mission to change Remus' mind about the sweet treat.

A/N:  the request didn't have any specifications, so I ran with a little idea I had been playing around with. I've always found the fandom headcanon around Remus eating chocolate to kill the wolf inside him. To calm that, I decided to put an angsty with a happy ending spin to it. Hope you enjoy! 💖💖 Also, I went with a fem!reader becuase the profile of the requester had the pronouns she/her 😊

The thing about rumors is that sometimes they are true. But the worst thing is when that rumor is spread amongst your own friends about the person you love the most. 

The Marauders all knew about Remus’ lycanthropy. How could they not? He had trusted them with his deepest secrets, just like they had done with theirs. Hell, they had learned how to be Animagi for him.

But no amount of closeness could ever make the teasing die between them, even when it was borderline cruel. Especially when it came to James Potter. Growing up, he had been coddled enough that sometimes, he did not know where the limits lay. Everyone knew that he would never intentionally hurt his friends. Still, sometimes, his words and jokes cut too deeply. 

And (Y/N) could take it most of the time. She was strong enough to face off with him. It was only when it came to Remus Lupin that she found her resolution unable to withstand his jabs. She would grow red with anger whenever James joked about Remus’ careful nature, how he allowed things to simply happen to him. He called him shy and awkward, sometimes scratching the line of coward. And it took everything in her not to explode at him every time. If Remus was there, he could keep her centered. But she would tear James a new one on the rare occasion that he wasn’t. 

(Y/N) knew the side of Remus that their friends seemed to forget. She knew he shielded the witty, calculated, and intelligent side from the rest. It was what had made her fall for him. At first, she believed she simply had an affinity for the Lupin boy, that they had a connection she did not have with the rest of the Marauders. Yet, as time went on, she discovered that the sentiments she felt toward the boy were far stronger than those of friendship. They were emotions she could never tell him about, not without losing his friendship, and that was something (Y/N) would never do. 

It had been a day like any other when (Y/N) had heard the rumor for the first time. It was spilling out of James’ mouth as if it were nothing but a joke. And maybe to him, it was. Peter and Sirius seemed to think so as they laughed at the pureblood’s words. 

“Where’s Remus right now?” the raven-haired boy had asked as he sat on an armchair in the Gryffindor common room. He propped his feet on the armrest, dug into a box of Every Flavour Jelly Beans, and popped one into his mouth. “Ugh, vomit!” 

“I think he went to the kitchens to ask for some chocolate,” Sirius shrugged. “Full moon’s tomorrow, and you know how he gets around those days.” 

“Yeah,” Peter snickered. “His sweet tooth gets activated to no avail. One day, he’ll give himself a cavity.” 

“Oh, lay off him, guys,” (Y/N) said, crossing her arms over her chest. Sometimes, she hated being the only girl they had accepted into their little group. She wondered if it was easier to be with them if she had been on the outside looking in –like Lily Evans, maybe Theresa Berlitz, or even Sasha Monnet. The latter she envied the most. The girl that held all of Remus’ attention, and she didn’t even care for it. “You know it’s hard for him to regulate his system after such a brutal transformation.” 

“Oh, there goes the pup again. Defending her little boyfriend,” Potter guffawed. “He’s old enough to fight his own battles, (Y/N). If you’re not gonna tell him how you feel, let him grow up on his own.” 

“Shove it, Potter. As if you didn’t need my help to get Lily to even look your way,” she spat back. “He’s our friend. I’m defending him against you when he’s not here to do it for himself. I know you have one, but that doesn’t mean you have to be a dick.” 

The other two boys tried their hardest to hide their laughter, but their red faces instantly gave them away. And before they could stop it, they barked out their chuckles. (Y/N) saw how that made James’ face shift. His cocky grin was instantly replaced with an annoyed scowl. But he was never one to stay down for long. He always had something up his sleeve. 

“Maybe you shouldn’t spend so much time defending him, (Y/N). Maybe you should spend more time saving him from himself.” 

She felt her chest squeeze at his words. Not knowing what they meant made her spiral, going down a thought storm she did not want to face. “What are you mumbling about, Potter?” 

“Don’t you know why he eats so much chocolate?” James answered, a smug look on his face. “I thought you two told each other everything. But I guess he didn’t want you mommy-ing him about it.”

“James,” Sirius warned, seeing as tears pooled on the corners of the girl’s eyes. “Don’t.” 

But the boy simply raised his hand and stared deeply into the witch’s eyes. “Darling, (Y/N). I thought you were smarter than that,” he chuckled mockingly. “You know how toxic chocolate is to canines, right? The poor boy eats his weight in chocolate to try and kill the wolf inside.” 

The words sent a pang to her heart. If they were true, it meant that Remus hated that part of him so much that he would have rather eat himself sick with sweets than accept it. The thought made her stomach churn, but it wasn’t as unbearable as the red-hot anger taking over her. She wanted to lunge at James, beat him bloody until they pried her nails off his body. She would have done it if it had not been for Peter’s hand on her arm. 

“You truly are something else, Potter. He is your friend,” she spat, her tone poignant and enraged. “He’s trusted us with his deepest secret. Trusted that we are here to help him navigate it rather than beat him down over it. And you say those words as if they’re something to laugh at. You can truly be a despicable person, James.” 

“Oh, come on, (Y/N). Stop being so dramatic,” he laughed. “It won’t actually do anything to him. It’s just chocolate. It’s not like I’m telling you he ingested a death potion.” 

“Sod off, Potter,” she responded. “It’s honestly becoming that the first bean you ate was vomit. It seems that’s the only thing you can spew from your mouth sometimes.”

She left her friends with a surprised look on their faces and left for the girls’ dormitories. There was no point in waiting up for Remus to return. He most likely would have returned long after they were meant to be in their beds, and she was too exhausted to face him. 

(Y/N) cried herself to sleep that night, thinking of how much pain Remus had to endure. Not only was he fighting a physical battle, but every day, he fought a mental one as well, and there was nothing she could do. Well, not yet. 

The next day, (Y/N) avoided her friends at all costs. She knew Remus would be excused from most of his classes as he prepared for the long night ahead, and the last thing she wanted was to face James. Even if he seemed to sport an apologetic frown on his face during breakfast. She wanted him to feel sorry. She wanted him to ruminate on the words he had spouted about one of his best friends. She wanted him to never again speak of him –or any of them for that matter–in that way. 

Sirius and Peter were not safe either. Even in their Potions and DADA classes, where they sat either next to or near each other, she acted as though they weren’t even there. They had known that James had said that before. Their faces had told her as much. They hadn’t been surprised when the sound escaped Potter’s mouth. They simply didn’t want her to hear it. In her eyes, they were just as bad. 

As the day passed, her anger had started to dwindle. Mostly because she felt lonely. Her only solace would have been Remus, and she knew she could not be with him. Not until the night had fully passed. She couldn’t even find solace in the rest of her friends. But instead of dwelling in her sadness, she locked herself in the library to concoct a plan. Nothing fueled her more than making sure that Remus Lupin was okay, and she would make sure he was. 

That night felt endless. 

(Y/N) spent hours staring at the enchanted ceiling she had created inside the secret passageway in Gregory the Smarmy’s corridor, watching as the moon moved slowly. It was the place Remus always went to after a transformation, too tired to head back to the Gryffindor common room and face his friends. Sometimes, he just needed some time to himself. 

She clutched the Marauder’s Map tightly in her hands, thanking Merlin that Sirius had handed it over to her without any questions. Once the moon had disappeared in her enchantment, she looked for Moony’s name and watched as it inched closer and closer. And before she knew it, the exhausted boy stood before her. 

“(Y/N),” he breathed with a relaxed smile on his face. He joined her side, sliding down the stone wall until he hit the hard floor. “What are you doing here? You should still be sleeping.” 

“I’ve brought you something,” she said. She pulled a cardboard box out of her satchel and handed it to him. “I made you some peanut butter-chocolate cookies, and some chocolate truffles.” 

“You didn’t have to do that, pup. A chocolate bar or two normally does the job,” he responded, looking at the treats in his hand. At first, he didn’t notice it, but once he turned, it was unmistakable. Her cheeks were stained with old tears as new ones fell on top, her eyes red and puffy from crying. “Oh, (Y/N). What’s wrong?”

Disregarding his question, she brushed back a strand of hair that was covering his forehead, revealing a streak of blood falling from a deep slash. “You’re bleeding, Remus,” she said softly, pulling out the first aid kit she always kept on her. “Let me clean that up.” 

“There’s spells for that, pup. You don’t have to go through the trouble.” 

“Hush now,” she sniffled. “Let me work.” 

Her hands were gentle against his skin, working swiftly and gently, making sure not to disturb the wound any further. It wasn’t deep enough to require immediate medical attention, but deep enough that it would scar. She worked until not a drop of blood was left on his face and covered it with a bandage. 

“Eat,” she smiled. “You’ll feel better.” 

“Then will you tell me what’s wrong?” Remus offered, his brown eyes pleading for an answer. “I don’t like to see you this upset.”

“Oh, nothing’s the matter,” she smiled weakly. “Just eat. It’ll make me feel better.” 

With a lopsided grin, he took a bite of a cookie, closing his eyes as he savored the combination of flavors. A moan of delight left his throat, and he rested his head against her shoulder as he enjoyed the entirety of the bite. “Definitely better than a chocolate bar,” he chuckled softly. “But I can’t promise I won’t eat one or two every once in a while. Can’t have you living in the kitchens the rest of the year.”

“I wouldn’t mind,” (Y/N) responded, trying her best to swallow the tears that kept threatening to spill. “I’ll make you all the cookies in the world if that’s what you need.”

“What I need is for you to be okay,” he told her, gently wiping away the streaks from her cheeks. “Will you please tell me what’s wrong? I don’t like to see you like this, pup. It breaks my heart.”

“James,” she finally sighed. “Something he said just rubbed me the wrong way, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.”

“That Potter boy can be too much sometimes,” he said defeatedly. “What was it this time? Please tell me it was nothing directed at you.”

“No, it’s… it was about you, Remus,” (Y/N) admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “He said something about you I didn’t like. But what angered me the most was that he laughed about it.”

“What was it?” 

“I don’t wanna say, Moony,” she pleaded. “Don’t make me say it.” 

“Darling, it’s James,” he teased. “He’s not smart enough to say something that will truly hurt me. But I don’t want you to carry it on your own. Now, out with it.”

(Y/N) took a steadying breath, sarong at the hand that held hers, tracing the scars with her eyes. “He said that the reason you eat so much chocolate is because it’s toxic to canines,” she confessed, a sob shaking her body. “That you believe that if you eat enough of it, it’ll kill the wolf inside you.”

An oh escaped Remus’ lips before he pulled her in for a tight embrace, trying his best to console her laments. It crushed him that he was inadvertently the cause of her pain. That was the last thing he wanted. 

“Is it true, Remus?” Her voice croaked, breaking any ounce of preservation he still held. “Please tell me it isn’t.” 

“It was at first,” he sighed. (Y/N) was tucked under his chin, and he could feel her body shake as she tried to breathe. He ran his hands through her hair, soothing her tenderly. “When I was a kid, I had read that dogs could die from eating chocolate. That even the smallest amount could do them harm. One Hallowe’en celebration, I gathered as many pieces as I could muster and ate them until I was stuffed. Ultimately, I ended up throwing up this sickly-looking brown mixture, and I thought I had done it. Until the next full moon, where I still transformed.” 

“Oh, Remus,” (Y/N) cooed as she squeezed his waist. 

“I guess I still associate the taste with those thoughts,” he continued, feeling the warmth of his tears trailing down his cheeks. “I can’t lie to you, (Y/N). Every time I feel the sweet melt in my mouth, a part of me hopes that it is weakening the wolf at the very least. That the more I eat it, the frailer it’ll become.” 

“I don’t want you to think that anymore, Moony,” she said. (Y/N) straightened herself and sat before him, her teary eyes boring into his. She took his hands in her and kissed his knuckles. “Even if it takes me forever, I will make sure every memory you have with it is replaced by a happy one. If I have to bake a million chocolate cookies or make a million truffles –I don’t care–I will do it. I will do it until my hands bleed. I will do it until your heart doesn’t hurt anymore.” 

“There’s no point, pup,” he said, his head falling in defeat. “It will not change the fact that I am still cursed. Forced to turn into a monster every single month. Always hoping that the people  I love are safe from me, from what I can do. It’s a life sentence that I will have to face by myself.” 

“As long as I am alive, Remus, you must know that you will never be alone,” she told him, placing a hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at her. “I love every single part of you, Moony. Even the parts that you cannot stand.” 

“This is not a life I could wish on you, (Y/N). Not you,” he sniffled. “You deserve so much better.” 

(Y/N) couldn’t find the words to say just how wrong he was. That the only life she had ever dreamed of had him by her side. So, she decided to show him. She leaned in and took his lips on hers in a moment of bravery. For a second, she thought he would push her away and remind her that his sights had been set on Sasha.

Instead, Remus melted into the kiss, pulling her closer to him by her waist. He kissed her as though she was the only source of oxygen in that passageway. As though her lips held the very force he needed to exist. As though she was his reason for being. 

“I don’t want a life that you’re not in, Remus,” she said breathlessly, her forehead resting against his. “I want to walk beside you, for better or worse. And I want to show you that you deserve all the love and happiness in the universe. Even if you don’t believe me.” 

“I’d believe anything if it came from your lips,” he smiled. “And as far as I see it, chocolate has now brought me something I never thought I could have.”

“Yeah?” (Y/N) grinned, popping a truffle into her mouth. “And what’s that?” 

“Well, you, pup,” he smirked before kissing away a speck of chocolate on her lips. “I thought I was bound to live with my feelings for you for the rest of my life.” 

“You thought that? I was under the impression that you were moping over Sasha Monnet.” 

“Where would you even get that idea?” Remus chuckled in surprise. “She’s just a friend.” 

“And why did you think that I didn’t reciprocate your feelings? I’ve honestly believed you were simply ignoring them for my sake.” 

The pair exchanged a knowing glance before bursting into laughter. “Sirius,” they said in unison. 

“I’m gonna kill that boy,” Remus said. “I can’t believe we’ve spent the past five years tiptoeing around each other when we could have been doing this the whole time.” 

“Well, it serves us right for entrusting Padfoot with such meaningful information,” she chuckled. “I wonder if they’ve made bets on when we would notice.” 

“You can best believe they have,” he joined in her laughter before looking down at his watch. “And as much as I would love to stay here all day with you, we, unfortunately, have classes to attend to.” 

“You mean we can’t stay hidden in here all day and make out?” (Y/N) sighed dramatically and fell on Remus. “What ever shall we do?” 

“We can always come back tonight,” the boy smirked. “Put that map to good use while we have it.” 

“I like where your head is at, Moony,” she smiled before placing a soft kiss on his lips. “But I do agree we have to go. I have to stop by the kitchens before breakfast.” 

“I think I’m good on delicious chocolate snacks, pup.” 

“Oh, it’s not for you, my darling Remus. There’s someone I need to eat his words. And I know just the way to do it.” 

After changing into their uniforms, (Y/N) made a detour to the kitchen, bribing a house elf for a rather peculiar request. Remus waited patiently for her outside the doors until they walked hand in hand into the Great Hall. Their friends’ eyes followed their figures until they settled with them, sliding onto the bench as they had done many times before. 

“Good to see you back with us, (Y/N),” Sirius was the first to speak. “I think I speak for all of us when I say we missed you yesterday.” 

“Yeah, we’re sorry for being insensitive,” Peter frowned. 

“And James here,” Sirius said as he shoved his friend’s shoulder. “Wants to say something.” 

“Right,” Potter affirmed, clearing his throat. “I didn’t mean to make fun of something so serious, (Y/N). You know, sometimes I cross the line.” 

“No worries, James,” she smiled sickeningly sweetly. “And to show that all is forgiven, I’ve brought you this.” 

The witch handed her friend a small box, much like the one she had handed Remus that very sunrise. She watched as James opened it and, as he smiled, took a bite of the pastry inside. Their friends watched in confusion as Potter enjoyed the sweet, savoring every bite. They waited for a surprise. A jinx or a potion laced into the treat. But it never came. 

“Careful, love,” (Y/N) said. “That’s a rhubarb breakfast cake.” 

“So what? I like rhubarb.” 

“Well, wouldn’t want people to think you’re eating it to kill the stag inside,” she smirked. “I thought you’d be smart enough to know that rhubarb is toxic to deer.” 

Sirius, Remus, and Peter burst out in laughter as James’ face reddened in embarrassment. He sent the treat down and busied himself with his food. After that, the boy never again seemed to speak out of his arse. At least, not about his friends. 

Many years later, at 12 Grimmauld Place, an older Remus Lupin sat before a fireplace when Harry Potter joined him. The man fiddled with the ring on his left hand, twirling it as he always did when he was lost in thought. Once he noticed the boy beside him, unconsciously, he handed him a piece of the chocolate bar he had on the coffee table next to him. 

“May I ask you something, Remus?” the boy asked. 

“Of course, my boy. Anything.” 

“I heard some rumors about you and chocolate,” he said, his voice weak. “About why you always carry it with you.” 

“I think I might know what you’ve heard,” Remus chuckled softly. “Something about wanting to kill the wolf inside, am I right?” 

“Yes,” Potter confessed. “Is it true? Does it actually poison it?” 

“No,” he laughed. “Your dear old father made sure that stupid idea didn’t die down.” 

“My dad was the one that spread it?” 

“In a way,” he smiled as he remembered that fateful day. “But do you want to know the real reason I always carry it with me?” 

“Yes.” 

“It reminds me of one of the happiest moments in my life,” he said before the door behind them opened. “I can’t eat it without smiling anymore, and I like to think it’s contagious.” 

“What are you two talking about?” (Y/N) asked as she walked in, followed by an enchanted tray with three cups of tea and a plate of peanut butter-chocolate cookies. “I hope it is age-appropriate things, Remus.” 

“I would never think of speaking of anything else,” he smirked as he accepted a kiss from his now wife. “My wife would never let me hear the end of it.” 

After she chuckled, (Y/N) turned to Harry, inspecting the boy’s exhausted expression tenderly. Looking at him without thinking of James became easier as the days passed. But sometimes, she couldn’t help the confusion in her brain. “Oh, darling,” she cooed. “You look so tired.” 

“I haven’t been sleeping great,” he shrugged. 

(Y/N) handed him one of the teacups as Remus placed a cookie on a napkin for Harry. “Eat,” she smiled. “You’ll feel better.” 

My content will always be free, but if you’re feeling particularly generous, you can leave a tip on any of my posts  or buy me a coffee to support me and my love of writing If you’d like to be tagged in any fandom or story: click here Make sure you have my notifications on so you know every time I post!

Taglist: @winter-soldier-101 @sunflowerleii @dyslexiccatterpillar @andreaiaafaria @bluetreecloud20 @sapnapsbandana @mushroomelephant @user0ur0mom @lilozg-123 @esposadomd @nocturnalherb16 @then-worship-at-my-altar @yuki254 @nyenye @captainrogers-19

@beckiej0073-blog @cecehensonn @krazyk99 @klf1999 @magimtz23 @adaydreamaway08 @hufflepuffobsessedwithmarvel @thatgirljayy @sugasthreedollarkookie @laylaskywalker @fandomonetwo @fruitylilfuck @honeywxter @haroldpotterson @kaita11 @gangstalicious06 @multifandomreader73 @euphoria1992 @thecollectorofwords @gabi-princesada1d @zealouscookierebeltrash @laylasbunbunny @aonungsfreak @treatiseofselena @attlas567 @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @bibella8swan @itsmytimetoodream @ivory-raptor @unstablekay @fresita1218 @heccatee @evattude @cerejinha @caosfanblr @alyeskathewave @heartfilia01

[whysosiriushuh]

Rr'ing crimson rivers. Everyone talks about the great big tragedy the fic is so I'm making a post appreciating zar's comedic genius

Warning: Its hella long

******************

 "You heard me. Come off it, lover boy. Don't pretend you can't climb; I've seen James, he's taller, and you're not going to tell me you're not climbing him, are you?" 

Regulus takes it all back. He rues the day he ever showed an interest in being possible allies with Evan Rosier. Regulus scowls at him, but that only makes him smirk. 

"First of all, climbing a person is entirely different from climbing a fucking tree—" 

"How so?"

"Trees won't keep me from falling. James has arms." 

"Ah, so you have climbed—" 

"Rosier, if you want to keep your tongue, you might want to shut up." 

******************

"It is. You just don't know it yet. You'll see." James winks at him, but his smile is soft. "Go on, go get your spine realigned."

Sirius' hand flies to his throat instinctively, like a woman clutching at her pearls, staring at James, utterly aghast as he wheezes, "Get my fucking what?" 

"Or, you know, realign his spine," James muses, thoughtful, his eyes gleaming with laughter. "Whatever suits your fancy, and his, I suppose." 

"You're filthy," Sirius hisses as James laughs again, covering his mouth with his hand. "You're a dirty, dirty man, Potter, and I—I do not want you anywhere near my baby brother." 

"Oh, the first chance I get, I'm going to let him snap my spine directly in half," James declares, lifting both hands and tipping his fists apart while making an obscene crunching noise in the back of his throat. The look of pure horror on Sirius' face makes James bust out laughing all over again.

******************

"Well, you just seemed…quite upset," Lyall says awkwardly. 

"Not because of the murder thing," Sirius mutters, waving his hand carelessly. He pauses. "That makes me sound rather mental, doesn't it? I just mean, I know that whatever it is, however it happened, it wasn't something inexcusable. No, I was just surprised, honestly, and I do feel like maybe he should have mentioned it. Not that I'm entitled to any information he isn't comfortable sharing, but I do think it's something you tell someone before you have sex with them, at the very least." 

It takes a second for the words to catch up with Sirius, and then his eyes bulge as heat creeps up into his face. Lyall's eyebrows are raised very, very high. 

"Oh, fuck—I mean, shit—wait, sorry, excuse my language, sir," Sirius chokes out, his voice going high from his rising panic as his heart takes off sprinting in his chest. "I wasn't—I shouldn't have said that. I don't know why I said that. Please don't think I took advantage of Remus. I swear I didn't. It was very mutual, and actually I was super nervous and not really sure about the whole thing—er, sex, I mean, because I'd never even done it, but I trusted Remus, and he was just so lovely—"

"Sirius—"

"I—I didn't force him, I would never, and he had full freedom to do whatever he liked, or didn't. He could have just—beat me up, if necessary. I'm pretty sure I told him that once, actually, and hey, now I know he could have just fucking killed me, so there's that. Shit, sorry, the cursing again. I'm just—I don't mean to be disrespectful in your home, sir, I swear. I'm just panicking a bit, currently, and—and trying to explain that I didn't, in any way, coerce your son into having sex with—" 

"Sirius," Lyall interrupts yet again, louder this time. 

******************

"Aren't you afraid of heights?" Emmeline muses as he approaches the tree very cautiously. 

"No," Regulus snaps defensively, then pauses and kicks lightly at the base of the tree. In a mumble, he confesses, "Yes." 

Emmeline coughs. "You'll be able to get back down, right? Without falling, I mean. Because I don't fancy Sirius having a go at me for letting his baby brother climb a tree and get stuck, or worse, fall and break his neck." 

"Thank you, Emmeline, for making me feel better about this decision," Regulus says flatly. 

"I try," Emmeline replies, amused. "No, but genuinely, should I go get a ladder, or something?" 

"That feels like cheating." 

"Well, who's going to know?"

Evan is going to give me so much shit for this the next time I see him in my dreams, Regulus thinks precisely five seconds before he looks over at Emmeline and mumbles, "A ladder, you said?" 

******************

"James is jealous," Regulus informs him. 

"Jealous?" Sirius arches an eyebrow. "Someone sniffing around you, Reggie?" 

Regulus breaks out into a grin again, one so rare that Sirius feels his heart clench just looking at it. "Not jealous because of me, you idiot. He's jealous of Frank, because of you." 

"What?" Sirius blurts out, bewildered. "But Frank is—I mean, we're just friends." He pauses, then frowns. "Wait, James wouldn't care if Frank was more than a friend anyway." 

"Sirius," Regulus says, struggling not to laugh, "he's jealous because you and Frank are friends. James is your best friend, remember? He feels threatened." 

Sirius opens his mouth, closes it, then shakes his head in disbelief. "Does he really?" 

"Yes. I'm having a great time," Regulus says with a happy sigh, genuinely looking pleased. "It sort of feels like karma, you know? He's also being terribly adorable about the whole thing, but don't tell him I said that." 

******************

"How's my sister?" Narcissa asks softly, and for the first time, Sirius wonders if this is why she's truly here. 

Sirius purses his lips. "Being a raging bitch in the other room. Why do you ask?" 

******************

"A niece," Narcissa whispers, her breath hitching so quietly that he almost misses it. "Do I? What's her name?" 

"Nymphadora," Sirius mumbles. 

"Now why would she do that to that poor child?" Narcissa asks, shaking her head as she inhales again. 

******************

"Hem-hem," Mayor Delores says, clearing her throat over and over until everyone looks at her. She gives Bellatrix a simpering smile. "Feet don't go on the table, dear." 

"Forks usually don't go into eyeballs either, but I can make that happen, too," Bellatrix tells her, lifting one foot and dropping it back down to send a fork sailing up from the table through the air, which she snaps her hand out to grab.

******************

"Betrayal is betrayal is betrayal!" Regulus shouts, and he leans back into Sirius harshly as he kicks out with his leg. Sirius can hear Camilla's gasp as the kick lands.

"Betrayal?! You fucking dramatic little—" 

"Me?! I'm dramatic?! You're dr—" 

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Sirius bursts out, officially done with this shit, reaching the end of his rope. 

******************

"Reggie, you never crack jokes or laugh at things." 

"I—yes, I do. I…do. I have before." 

"Name one time," Sirius says, lips twitching. 

Regulus opens his mouth, then closes it, then frowns. He sits on that for a second, then says, "James thinks I'm funny." 

"James is blinded by love, is what he is," Sirius tells him, clearly exasperated. "He is not an unbiased opinion." 

"Before you volunteered," Regulus states finally, and Sirius blinks at him. "The first time, I mean. I know you don't really remember a lot of things from back then, but I—I would occasionally make jokes, and I did laugh a lot more." 

Sirius clicks his tongue. "Well, that's tragic." 

"Isn't it just?" Regulus agrees dryly. 

"I bet you were shit at it even then." 

"I wasn't. James laughed, and he didn't even like me before my fifteenth birthday." 

******************

"First of all, I would be old and beautiful," Sirius states firmly, holding up a finger. "I am going to be sexy until the day I die, even if I could live until a hundred. Second of all, I will be at the wedding. In spirit. Have it at night under my star. Or just—I don't know, slap a picture of me on a chair and—" 

"You're so stupid," Regulus interrupts, then swivels on the spot and stomps off, scowling as he goes. 

"James, how do you put up with him?" Sirius groans from behind him. "The chair idea is a good idea, isn't it? You get it. See, now you have to. It's funny! It would be—" 

"Stop talking to my fiancé!" Regulus snaps as he continues on, and Sirius doesn't, but he does lower his voice as he follows along, which will just have to do.

******************

"Well," Sirius wheezes, "I definitely won." 

"What? No you didn't. You can't prove it," Regulus sputters instantly, which tells Sirius he did, in fact, win. 

"Don't be a sore loser," Sirius teases, wrinkling his nose as he inspects his spear. It's covered in gunk. The creatures didn't seem to bleed, but they were very…goopy. 

"What are you doing?" Regulus asks. 

Sirius continues to pull off his bag, reaching inside to find the cloth he needs. "Cleaning my spear. It's disgusting." 

"You have a bit of…" Regulus coughs and gestures to his own hair, then Sirius'. 

"What?!" Sirius chokes out, instantly dropping his spear and cloth, hands flying up to his hair in horror. 

******************

"Lily?" Dorcas asks tentatively, cringing at the background sound of something clattering, like metal on metal. 

"Hi, Dorcas, a little busy here," Lily pants out. "We're, um." 

"Problem?" 

"What? No. Everything's f—hey! No, step away from the gatling gun! Barty, don't make me leave this cockpit!" 

James straightens up. "Barty? Did—sorry, did she just say Barty? Is Barty there? He's alive?" 

"Lily?" Dorcas tries again. 

"We have this under control," Lily replies, and then there's a choked sob and the distant shout of we're all gonna die! 

******************

Sirius hates it. He also chooses to ignore it, much like he's doing with the idea that James is captured here, too. "You're lying. How stupid do you think I am?" 

"I need not lie, Sirius." 

"Yeah, that's what liars say." 

Riddle looks unimpressed with him all over again. 

******************

Say the word and I'll run away with you," Sirius murmurs. "We'll abduct everyone we love and take to the seas. Throw them under the deck until we're too far away for them to swim back." 

"We wouldn't have to do that to Regulus. He can't even swim." 

******************

"Look me in the eye, then," Remus says. "Look at me when you break up with me." 

Sirius peeks at him, then quickly looks away. He's chewing on his lip. "What does eye-contact have to do with a breakup? Is that, like, required? I've never dumped anyone before." 

"Yes, I can tell," Remus replies dryly. "You're rather shit at it." 

******************

"War doesn't, though," Marlene comments. "So, you know, time to fight and whatnot. Do you think we'll get matching outfits? We should color-coordinate." 

Sirius snorts. "Now there's a thought. Could you imagine?" 

"I'm thinking…" Marlene purses her lips. "Hm, yellow?" 

"Ooh, I like yellow," Pandora says. "We'd smash it in yellow."

"No, it shows blood too well," Remus counters. "You definitely want to go with darker colors." 

"Or red, to blend," Lily suggests, coughing around a laugh, doing her absolute best not to look at Remus with their shared sense of humor. She fails, and Remus grins at her. 

"Black is a good war color," Sybill muses. "Like, matte black. Not glossy. Something hardy, kind of rough." 

"Hear me out," Mary says, holding up her hands and spreading them like presenting a banner. "Orange." 

"Or we could just all go in different colors and come at them like a rainbow," Dorcas says, lips curling up. 

"Naked," Sirius declares. "We should go into war completely fucking nude. They wouldn't know what to do." 

******************

"Bit far-fetched, that," Marlene muses. "I mean, we'll get old. Old people don't fuck." 

Dorcas lifts her head, eyebrows raised. "Yes, they do." 

"Nah," Marlene protests, waving a hand. 

"Marlene, they absolutely do," Dorcas says through laughter, watching Marlene purse her lips. "People don't stop being people when they get older, you know. They continue living and such, and if they like sex, they have it." 

"You mean to tell me that old people fuck?" Marlene asks, looking like this is the worst news she's heard all week. She looks horrified. "So, like, Dumbledore—" 

"Gah!" Dorcas bursts out, flinching instinctively. "No! Why would you put that in my brain?!" 

Marlene grimaces. "Sorry, but he's the oldest person I can think of. Alright, Minerva and Poppy, then?" 

"Marlene!" Dorcas protests in horror. 

"What?!" 

"They're like—my adopted parents!" 

******************

"I'm warning you, Tim," Regulus snaps, "if you touch me, you're going to die." 

Tim doesn't listen to him, and five minutes later, Regulus is breaking Tim's hand and kicking not-Tim into a signpost before launching another not-Tim into the side of a car so hard that the window crunches and dents in with splintered glass from the impact of their body. Tim yells from his knees, fingers going in all the wrong directions, and Regulus is just about to snap his neck when a new not-Tim comes flying out of nowhere to tackle Regulus to the ground. 

There's a scuffle. Regulus may or may not nearly rip someone's ear off. Either way, by the end, Regulus stands up to find many bodies of not-Tims littered all around him, while Tim himself is dead at Narcissa's feet. Look who finally showed back up. 

Well, Regulus told Tim he'd die. No one ever listens to him. Maybe they should; he's starting to think he's some sort of prophet or something. 

******************

"Baby? What baby? Who's baby?" Alecto asks as she dumps herself down at the table with a weary sigh, looking very, very tired. Burgundy and Belfast are fighting over Dora the second they arrive. "Gun, Bel, no hitting!" 

"But Auntie! He's being stupid!" Burgundy shrieks.

"Dora likes me the most! Tell her, Auntie!" Belfast yells. 

"Does not!" 

"Does too!" 

"Does not!" 

"Does too!" 

"Does—" 

"Enough!" Alecto bursts out, slamming her hand down to the table and making Burgundy and Belfast shut up very quickly. Nymphadora looks like she's having the time of her life, but Alecto? Not so much. She breathes very, very carefully. "I know the concept is hard to grasp in your puny, developing brains, but you two can share Dora's company, and be her friend at the same time. Now, the next time one of you hits each other, I'm going to break your fingers. Got it?" 

"Got it," Burgundy and Belfast mumble, hanging their heads, and five minutes later they're peacefully sharing Dora. 

Alecto cradles her head between both hands, eyes sinking shut as she mutters, "I fucking hate kids." 

.

.

"No!" Alecto blurts out. "No, don't do this to me. Please, for the sake of my sanity, don't have a baby." 

"What does this have anything to do with you?" Narcissa asks. 

Alecto groans and drops her head to the table, so Sirius helpfully answers, "Cissa, come on, she's obviously in love with you." 

"That," Alecto mutters, pointing weakly at Sirius. 

"And she hates kids," Sirius adds. 

"Also that," Alecto agrees. 

Narcissa considers her for a long moment, then says, "Well, you're very dear to me, you know this, but I want to be a mother, so either move on or settle in." 

"Can I just spoil it with gifts and you handle the rest?" 

"Well, I was planning to handle it all anyway, so sure." 

.

.

Sirius snorts. "Yeah, okay, fair enough. I don't want anything that cunt owned anyway." 

"Sirius!" 

"What, Reggie? I'm just saying!" 

"Well, maybe don't just say!" 

"I can say what I like!" 

"You shouldn't." 

"But I can." 

"But you shouldn't." 

"But I can." 

"But you shouldn't." 

"But I—" 

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Alecto bursts out, slamming her way to her feet, making her chair and the table clatter

******************

"Well, don't stand around, Remus. Let him in," Lyall says, clicking his tongue. "Been worried about him." 

Me? Sirius mouths, looking mildly alarmed, and Remus chuckles as he reaches out to grab Sirius' arm and tug him inside. Sirius smiles at Lyall. "Hello, Mr—um. Sorry, Lyall." 

"Nice to see you again, Sirius," Lyall greets, amused. "You seem well, all things considered. Are you well?" 

"Well enough," Sirius says, "all things considered." 

Lyall's lips twitch. "That's fair." 

"You look well, too, sir," Sirius adds. "I'm glad you're not dead." Remus snorts the moment Sirius looks horrified by the words that just tumbled out of his mouth. "Sh—oot, sorry. I mean, it's true, but that's—there wasn't very much tact in how I said it, was there? Just—I'm glad you're okay. That's what—" 

"Remus," Lyall cuts in, "are you sure you found him in the Hallow? Absolutely sure?" 

"Actually," Remus corrects fondly, "he found me." 

"Respectfully," Sirius says. "In a very respectful manner. I treat Remus with the utmost respect." 

"This isn't true," Remus lies, and Sirius chokes, his head whipping towards him in disbelief. "Dad, he uses me for sexual favors and tells me he owns me." 

"I do not!" Sirius bursts out, eyes bulging. "I have never—" 

"He makes me do his laundry—" 

"Remus!" 

"I even cook for him—" 

"You're literally a cook here! You cook for everyone." 

Remus keeps his face perfectly neutral when he adds, "And he won't let me break up with him either."

"That was you!" Sirius yelps, his head swiveling to look at Lyall, whose shoulders are shaking. "Sir, he's—oh. You're laughing. You're—" He stops, then flicks his gaze between Remus and Lyall, and Remus finally breaks out into a grin. Sirius huffs. "Oh, for f—ah, that wasn't funny!" 

******************

"What?" Regulus mutters, scowling. "Look, I know that seems extreme, but it's important, alright? I'm always going to have it on me as a reminder, and because—honestly, as strange as it may be, that's a comfort to me." He pauses. "Well, not in bed, obviously. You don't have to worry about that." 

James coughs. "Oh. Right. That's…great." 

"Were you worried?" Regulus asks, frowning now, admittedly stung by the thought. "James, I'd never hurt you, especially not with a damn dagger." 

"Never?" James asks weakly. 

Regulus cards his fingers through his hair, trying to get his gaze to fall away from the dagger. "Never. I promise." 

James bites his lip. "Not even if—" 

"Never," Regulus cuts in, grabbing his jaw and forcing him to look at him, wanting to reassure him. "Never, James, not for any reason." 

"Oh," James mumbles, wilting a little bit with what Regulus imagines is relief. "Um, yay for me, I…guess." 

******************

Sirius hums. "Yeah, exactly. We're okay. We will be. Come here, can we kiss and make up now?" 

"Regulus and Remus are peering through the drapes, being nosy," James muses. "Mum, too." 

"Ah, in that case," Sirius teases lightly, then makes a big show of throwing his arms around James very dramatically while pressing an over-the-top, smacking kiss to each of James' cheeks, winking at him as he pulls away. "There, now they'll know we're alright. Nothing to worry about." 

James frowns. "Did they all know before me?" 

Sirius freezes like a spooked horse, then coughs and tosses his arm over James' shoulders. "Say, let's head in, yeah? Come on, if we turn around really fast, we can make the others scramble all over themselves to get away from the window." 

When he and Sirius swivel around in perfect sync, Regulus and Remus do, in fact, hastily jerk back from the window. Effie doesn't. She looks out at them, and she smiles.

******************

"Sirius Black," Sirius greets, reaching out to shake Ken's hand, leaning in to wink and whisper, "but you knew that." 

"I—yeah, hey, hi," Ken replies, stumbling over his words, so visibly flustered that Remus almost pities him. Almost. 

"I'm sure you have a very good reason for being here, Low Bar, but—" 

"Barlowe, actually, um—" 

"Very low bar. I could trip over you," Sirius says, then laughs like that's not even the least bit insulting, and his laugh is so lovely and charming that Ken—poor Ken—laughs with him, as if the insult hasn't even registered to him. "Anyway, this can continue in just a moment, whatever reason you have to be here. Remus has to turn his attention to something more important, which is me." 

Then, with that, Sirius twirls around and plucks the mug out of Remus' hands before smiling at him, warm and sweet, and reaching up to cradle his face tenderly, intimately, then kisses him

.

.

"A miracle. He called you a miracle, right in front of me! I'm standing right here! Hello? Can you see me? Am I invisible?" Sirius sputters, looking absolutely appalled. 

Lyall immediately dissolves into laughter. 

"I have killed people!" Sirius yelps. "I've killed so many people that I don't even know how many it's been, and he just—oh, I could have killed him so easily, what the fuck?!" 

Lyall is wheezing. 

"He's gifting you puppies and calling you a miracle—am I fucking joke to him?" Sirius demands. "Does he not know I can and will rip his tongue out of his head? I can do it! I—" 

Lyall bangs his hand down on the table, gasping for air, laughing so hard he's in tears. 

"Sirius," Remus says, biting down on the inside of cheek. 

Nostrils flaring, Sirius fixes his gaze on Remus, lips pursing like he's tasting something sour. "He's trying to win you over. He comes with compliments and puppies—" 

"It's not a competition—" 

"He comes here and tries to act chummy with your dad—" 

"I think he was just being polite—" 

"Barlowe? Barlowe? What a pathetic name. Fucking low bar of a name and a low bar of a human being—" 

"Well, that's not very polite—" 

"Offering you puppies—" 

"Sirius—" 

"Calling you a miracle—" 

"Sirius—" 

"Addressing you by that stupid fucking nickname—" 

Lyall is going to keel over here in a second, just from laughing so hard, and Remus is almost genuinely concerned for his health. He's an older man, quite out of breath, getting a bit red in the face. Huffing in fond exasperation, Remus reaches out to catch Sirius' arm and drag him out of the room. 

.

.

"How dare he? Puppies?" Sirius hisses as Remus shuts the door behind them. "Remus, he brought puppies!" 

"He did, yes," Remus agrees. Sirius looks absolutely enraged by this, which shouldn't be as hilarious as it is. "Obviously since he brought puppies, I now have to run off with him, as he is the superior gift-giver and has won my affections once more. That is all it takes for me. Puppies." 

******************

"What about us?" 

"You know, what are we doing?" 

"Perusing district six's market," Remus says lightly. 

Sirius stops holding his hand, like a punishment. He crosses his arms. "You know that's not what I meant. Kids, Remus. We've never talked about it." 

"We haven't talked about a lot of things," Remus replies. 

"Other things aren't as…serious as this." 

"Marriage isn't?" 

"I don't think so," Sirius says slowly. "We'll get married, obviously." 

Remus' eyebrows fly up. "Oh, will we?" 

"Won't we?" Sirius asks, eyebrows furrowed. Remus stares at him, keeps staring at him, and Sirius thinks about it, thinks about it, thinks about— "Oh! Oh, I just—I went about that the wrong way, didn't I? Wait, scratch that. Pretend I never said it. I didn't say that. Who, me? No, never. Um." 

"Sirius," Remus says, watching him look around with visible amusement, gaze soft. 

Sirius snatches up a half-bent spoon for sale off the table, old and chipped, though the handle is intricately carved. He holds it up and says, "Okay, will you marry me?" 

"What?" Remus wheezes, cracking up laughing immediately. 

"It's—it's the first thing I grabbed—" 

"You can't propose to me with a spoon—" 

"Watch me," Sirius argues stubbornly, then goes to one knee, which makes Remus' eyes bulge, his laughter cutting out all at once. "Remus Lupin—" 

"Sirius!" Remus hisses, hands darting out frantically to tug at his elbows, looking around furtively as people stare at them in blatant curiosity, his cheeks stained red. "You lunatic, you can't just—fuck's sake, are you mad?" 

.

.

"I can't believe you're proposing to me with a spoon," Remus whispers. 

"I, um, also can't believe I'm proposing to you with a spoon," Sirius admits sheepishly. "I may have—gotten ahead of myself. Sorry. You deserve way better, but like, I'm in this now. Sort of have to see it through, at this point." 

Remus laughs, one of his hands lifting toward his mouth, fingers gently pressing against his own smile, like he wants to feel it. "You're a mess, you know that?" 

.

.

When they break apart, Remus is grinning again, and Sirius leans in and bumps their noses together. He has never felt better than he does at this moment. 

"Excuse me. Hey, excuse me," says the person working the stall they're next to. "You still have to pay for the spoon." 

Sirius' expression falls flat, and Remus immediately erupts into laughter that he has to bury in Sirius' shoulder. Sirius cups the back of his head and turns a slow, deadly glare on the person daring to interrupt their moment. One look is all it takes. That look is all it takes. 

They get the spoon for free. 

.

.

"With a spoon?" Lily asks. 

Remus huffs a laugh and nods. "With a damn spoon." 

"Was it at least a nice spoon?" 

"Worst spoon I've ever seen." 

Lily purses her lips, then says, "I'll kill him." 

"It was the most romantic thing that anyone's ever done for me," Remus tells her. 

"Okay, resurrecting him," Lily amends

[lulublack90]

Prompt 26 - Transfiguration

@jegulus-microfic March 26 Word count 1000

Previous part First part

“Sirius, I told you not to try and put your own eyeliner on without me,” Remus told him between fits of laughter. 

“You look like a sad panda!” Regulus was almost useless at this point. His laughter shook his entire frame, and he was struggling to breathe. 

“Oi, sod off then!” Sirius sulked. 

“Sirius, wait!” Regulus called, getting his laughter under control. “Is James there?”

“Yeah. Hang on a sec, and I’ll get him. JAMES!!!” He bellowed, not even bothering to move away from the mirror. 

“What’s up, Padfoot? You alright?” Huge guffaws burst from James’s mouth once he caught sight of Sirius’s botched makeup attempt. 

“Oh, bugger off, Prongs!” Sirius stormed off. He dropped the mirror on the bed so Regulus and Remus got a lovely view of the ceiling. James grabbed it up, and his face filled the glass. 

“Hi, love, you alright? Hi Remus.” He waved. 

“Hi,” Remus waved back. Regulus nodded. 

“Is Sirius coming back?” He asked. 

“Sirius, you coming back or not?” James called just as loudly as Sirius had. They could hear Sirius shuffling back into the room, and he appeared next to James, now free from his makeup. 

“I found it,” Regulus smirked. “Took it right out from under Lucius’s nose.” The three of them gawped at him in disbelief. 

“Where was it?” Sirius asked. 

“In his library on the centre bookcase.”

“Are you kidding?! Godric, he’s an idiot.” Sirius snorted. 

“Will he notice it’s gone?” Remus asked seriously. 

“I don’t think so. He caught me near it, but I pretended to be really drunk, and he got me out of there, probably scared of his first editions. I used a transfiguration spell of a—on something else there and imbued it with a small amount of dark magic at the same time. I doubt Lucius will be able to tell the difference.”

“Are we meeting at Rosier House tonight, then?” James wanted to know. 

“No. Both of my parents are here, and it’s late. If we go out now, it will be suspicious. Mother has meetings or something most of the day tomorrow. So we’ll meet, say, around 9? As long as the coast is clear.”

They made their goodnights, and all went to bed. 

Walburga left early the next morning, and so did the boys. 

They were surprised to see James, Sirius and Lily already there, waiting for them in the house. 

“You’re here early,” Regulus said as he accepted a kiss from James. James shrugged. 

“Sirius and I are. That one stayed the night,” He jabbed his thumb at Lily and was hit with a tickling hex. “Worth it,” He gasped. 

“Come on then. Spill the beans. Why have you gathered the Thestrals at this ungodly hour?” Evan questioned, stopping Lily and James from going any further. Regulus pulled the diary from his pocket and held it up. 

“I found it.” He told them. And when he explained where he found it, Barty chirped in. 

“What is with these guys and being such—” Pandora waltzed over and stuffed a cauldron cake in Barty’s mouth as they all knew what had been about to come out of his mouth. He stuck his fingers up but mostly quietly ate his treat.

“So now all we need to do is destroy them?” Lily asked Regulus. He nodded. “Great, I’ll go get the venom.”

“Wait,” He stopped her. “I think we need to take them somewhere to do it. In case something happens when we try and destroy them.” 

They sat for a while, thinking of places to go. 

“Random field?” Evan suggested. 

“If we could properly ward it. But then, if the field is destroyed, how would we cover it up?” Regulus rebutted. They kept coming up against the same problem. If the Horcruxes destroyed the area, how would they hide it? 

“What about the forbidden forest?” Remus wondered aloud. “As long as we stay clear of the centaur heard and the acromantula. We should be left alone, and if we destroy a bit of the forest, it’s huge and will regrow itself over what was lost.” Sirius and James both nodded, thinking it was a great idea. 

“What do you mean acromantula? Are there actually acromantula in the forest?” Barty and the others had gone slightly paler than usual at the thought of the murderous arachnids. 

“We know where they are. As long as we don’t go near the nest, we’ll be fine.” Sirius waved off their fears. “We’ve been in there loads of times and never had a problem.”

“Right, it’s settled then. We meet tomorrow in the forbidden forest.” He looked to James. “Where should we actually meet?”

“Wait in the trees behind Hagrid’s cabin. That’s probably going to be the easiest place to gather, especially if we arrive at different times.” He looked around the room at the seven other people. “I can do this on my own, you know. You can all stay here, and I’ll go on my own.”

“What, and let you take all the glory, fuck off,” Barty smirked. 

“Can’t do tomorrow, Reggie,” Sirius spoke up. 

“Why not?” Sirius had nothing else to do. He’d been complaining for days that Moody wouldn’t give him an assignment. 

“It’s Jamie’s birthday, and we have a date with Monty and Effie.” Regulus spun to look at James, horrified. 

“I forgot your birthday.” 

“Don’t worry about it. You’ve had a lot on your mind.” James consoled him. 

“You guys free in the evening?” Evan asked. 

“Yeah. Should be. We’re just having lunch with my parents.” James answered. 

“Good. That means you can come to you’re birthday party here.” Pandora beamed at him. She grabbed Lily’s hand. “Come on, dear, let’s go catch some fairies for the lights.” And she skipped out of the room, towing Lily behind her. 

“That okay, delaying a day?” James asked Regulus.

“Of course, we’ll go to the forest after.” James beamed at him and scooped him up to plant a kiss on his lips.   

Next part

[theprettieststarfr]

GUYS PLEASE READ THIS AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK

So I genuinely refuse to believe that considering the size of Hogwarts there was never a mention of a huge green field, only the lake. Like you know, fields like ones they have in the UK with cows and shit. BUT NO COWS THIS TIME. Imagine there is a huge field with wildflowers, like chamomile and poppies and other stuff and it's just so unbelievably green when May rolls around and throughout June as well, and some time after the field gets green like that it also blooms.

So, now that you've imagined it, imagine four 11 year old boys running around, playing tag in that field, screaming, laughing and falling down, out of breath, on the grass together to look up at the clouds. And when exams/tests are over, they sit on the field, which smells MAGNIFICENT by the way, just like proper summer, with all the flowers on it, and watch the summer sunset.

Second year, Peter gets bitten by a bee and becomes so goddamn scared of the field in the summer because of the bees that he absolutely refuses to play in there with his friends. And because MARAUDERS WERE EQUAL IN EACH OTHER'S EYES they spent so many break times researching the best insect repellent spells with the help of Professor Sprout, that they came up with a solution in less than a month and they were finally able to go to the field altogether.

Sometime then they were also joined by Lily, Mary, Marlene and such, who preferred picnics to playing tag, but weren't against watching the sunset as well.

Around the fifth year the Marauders would notice that Pandora, Regulus, Dorcas, Barty and Evan sat a little further away on the field. Pandora made flower crowns, Regulus read, Barty and Evan bickered, though it was never serious, and Dorcas composed or covered songs on her guitar. And since James is the little ray of sunshine that he is, he RUNS up to Pandora begging her to teach him how to make flower crowns, to which she happily agrees. Remus then finds the book Regulus is reading very interesting, Sirius is itching to put his opinion into rosekiller's argument because of course he knows better - it's clotted cream AND THEN jam on a scone, and Peter actually has a very clear, soothing soprano, which compliments Dorcas's alto and they start singing together. They sometimes hang out together after that.

Sixth year - James and Pandora are teaching everyone to make flower crowns and somehow, after the flowers have been picked, they grow right back, like nothing happened. Sirius gives his first flower crown to Minerva, most pretty (in his opinion) flower crown to Regulus, after a fight, after which Regulus, surprisingly, forgives him, which he does not want to admit, and all of his other ones to his Moony, because "he deserves all the flowers in this world". Remus grumbles a little about waste of flowers, but secretly preserves all of them in his books and keeps them. They no longer play tag in the field, for quite a few years now, but instead just frolic and dance whenever. Lily and Marlene sometimes act like those Zumba instructors and show moves to all the others, while Mary picks out the most danceable ABBA songs, getting a complaint from Sirius, who secretly doesn't really mind a bit of disco. They are sometimes joined by others, like Frank, Alice and Emmeline and they all have a huge dance off and OF COURSE it's either James or Lily who win most of the times and the classically trained Black brothers finally stop associating dancing with their parents and harsh etiquette training.

Last day of the last year, they all come out on the field one last time. To play tag. Like it all started. Running around it without one care in the world, then again, falling down on the field together. They then quietly talk about what they think the future will be like for them, agreeing on the thought that it will all work out eventually. Then they each make A LOT of flower crowns to exchange with every single person there. Barty then charms all the crowns to "speak". Basically, by touching a flower on the flower crown you can hear the voice of the person who made it and that date that they made it on, or whatever they want to say: "I'm Sirius Black, and I made this flower crown for Marlene on dd/mm/yyyy. DAZZLE ON MARLS" or smn like that. When asked how Barty came up with this, he answered, that he didn't wanna sort through his condoms every time he needed them in order to find out which one is strawberry flavoured, so he would just touch it and know which is which 😭😭😭

After that they actually hug. All of them. During the sunset. And it's the most wholesome thing.

And then they stay on the field until dawn getting drunk and doing something dumb and fun.

THAT'S IT YOU GUYS I REALLY LIKE THIS THOUGHT

Oh, also, if you wanna go more canonical (god no please no), then the year before Remus comes back to Hogwarts to teach, they remove the field to build more greenhouses, since more plants are coming in due to globalization and shit. And only Luna notices, crying silently at all the flowers that are gone.

And when Remus comes back, the first thing he notices is that the field is gone. Without a trace. Dead. Just like all of his friends. But not the memories he made. Probably would be better if they were dead too, because they hurt him even more, than he thought was possible.

[resident-gay-bitch]

sirius being dramatic when finding out about jegulus + very side wolfstar and rosekiller

Sirius strode into the apartment without warning, tossed his keys onto the table with a loud clunk, and took a dramatic bow with a wolffish grin.

“So, what do you think?”

“Of what?” Regulus asked, deadpanning him, “Your dramatic entrance? You’re not a vampire, Sirius- also I told you that key was for emergencies only.”

“This is an emergency.” Sirius glared at him, straightening up, “I need compliments.”

“Oh, how out of character for you.” Regulus said sarcastically, stirring his tea with his spoon at the table.

Sirius flipped him off.

“Please, tell me your thoughts.” Sirius grinned, showing off his new look and flourishing his hair, “Honest opinions only, unless they’re mean. If they’re mean, just tell me I’m pretty instead.”

“You’re pretty.” Dorcas smirked, and Sirius flipped her off.

Sirius had gone on an impulsive whim this morning after a quiet breakfast with Remus had revealed he quite likes the edgy punk look. And whilst Sirius is well aware how much Remus adores his long hair and pretty rebel boy demeanour, mixining it up for a few months could only mean a bit of fun.

Besides, if the way Remus’ brain seemed to short circuit that time Sirius came home with a septum and a nose piercing meant anything, Sirius is sure the other man would absolutely melt now.

He’d gotten himself an eyebrow and lip piercing today, as well as an extra three in his ear. It was a painful feat, and Sirius will not admit that he cried and had to be given a lollipop like a child, but he did it.

He also cut his hair short, just below the base of his skull, short wavy locks that no longer frame his face like they once did. And underneath, he’s died it electric blue.

He chopped one of his old metal band tees through the middle for a rough crop, and put Remus’ too big black ripped jeans on, letting them sit low on the waist with a studded belt to keep from pantsing himself. He’s never really been one for having his briefs stuck up out of his pants, but he happens to be wearing dark blue ones today, and they match.

“I think you look lovely, Sirius.” Pandora smiled over her tea, sitting at the table by Regulus. Out of Regulus’ entire group of friends, Sirius likes her the best. She’s always the nicest to him. “Very punk rock.”

“Thank you, Pandora.” Sirius smiled.

“I think you look stupid.” Regulus said, because of course he did.

“Thank you, Reggie.” Sirius smiled.

“I think you look like me.” Barty said, leaning up against the kitchen counter, one foot on the cabinets behind him for stability.

Sirius furrowed his brow and looked Barty over. And… fuck, yeah, he did. Barty was also wearing a messily cropped shirt, briefs that stuck out of the hem of his low baggy sweats, but he usually wears jeans like these when he’s out and about. And his hair is almost identical to Sirius’, however there’s green in it rather than blue. And the piercings, he’s got loads of them, skin smothered with tattoos too.

“You stealing my look, Black?” Barty grinned.

“Yeah, Im very attracted to him right now.” Evan, who had his head resting on Barty’s shoulder, smiled, “You should go blue, Barty. Its hot.”

“Hey.” Barty nudged him in the side and Sirius blushed.

“Well, thank you Evan, however, I am happily committed.” Sirius smiled, taking another little bow, “I suppose I take that as a compliment too, Crouch?”

“Obviously.” Crouch snickered, “I feel honoured that the Sirius Black is trying to look more like little old me-“

“That was an accident.” Sirius pressed, pointing at him, “I just wanted to look cool for Remus.”

“So you think I look cool?” Barty laughed delightfully.

“That’ll work.” Dorcas grinned, “Remember when Remus and Barry shagged-“

“I don’t need a reminder of that!” Sirius shouted as the same time that Barty said, “Cas, I told you to stop bringing that up around Evan.”

“Oh, so she can bring it up when I’m not around, huh?” Evan asked with a snake like grin, “Do you like to reminisce when I’m not there, Barty? Are you unfaithful?”

“Never, dove.” Barty kissed Evans forehead and sent an evil glare Dorcas’ way, “Dorcas just likes to stir the pot.”

Dorcas and Pandora giggled to themselves.

“Okay, enough about you lot, more about me.” Sirius interrupted, “On a scale of one to ten, how much do you think Remus will want to shag me when I get home? Ten being a lot-“

Sirius’ speech was interrupted by someone else letting themselves in through the front door and striding into the house.

“Love, I broke my glasses again, can you please fix them?” Sirius recognised that voice instantly, it was his best friends voice afterall. James walked right past Sirius in the entry way and leant in and smacked a kiss right on Regulus’ lips, “Missed you.” James muttered again, “I know it’s only been three hours, but I always miss you.”

Sirius is feeling a lot of confusion right now.

Regulus sends him a panicked glance over James’ shoulder, and then awkwardly looks up at James with pink cheeks. Sirius takes in the sudden tension in the room, at the way Pandora is sending Sirius a pleading look, at the way Dorcas is biting her lip in anticipation and looking between everyone, at the way Barty is clearly trying his best not to burst out with laughter, and the way that Evan is jabbing an elbow into his side and looking remorseful.

Suddenly Sirius is no longer confused. He feels more betrayed than anything.

James is fucking shagging his baby brother, isn’t he?

“Oh, Barty, by the way-“ James starts but he interrupts himself midway through, “I swear you were just-“ James turns and points in Sirius’ direction, and then spins back to Barty, “Why are there two of you?”

Barty bursts out laughing, “There’s only one of me, Potter.”

James swings back and forth, looking between them for a moment. And Sirius remembers how genuinely blind James is without his glasses. He usually can’t tell Remus and Peter apart when without them, their hair too similar in colour. So Sirius decides to help him out.

“James.” Sirius prompts when James’ back is to him, and he watches the way the other man immediately stiffens, “Are you snagging my brother?”

Regulus stands and slides James’ glasses onto his face before solemnly petting him on the cheek and sighing, “You’ve been wanting to tell him somehow.”

James slowly turns around, “Oh, Sirius, hi! Didn’t see you there, wow, new look. Very punk, Remus is sure to love it- hey, why don’t we go show Remus now? Yeah, let’s go right there and not talk about anything else-“

“James.” Sirius prompts again, glaring at him, “Are you, or are you not, shagging my brother.”

“Uhm, well… shagging’s quite a vile word, don’t you think? I prefer… love making-“

Behind him, Regulus groaned and began to bang his head on the cupboard whilst all of his friends lit up with laughter.

“Love making?” Sirius gasped, “James, that’s disgusting.”

“Well, it’s not really, it’s quite lovely.”

Sirius pretends to gag, “How long?”

“Erm… bit of an odd question considering it’s your brother.” James shrugged, “But, usually at least an hour-“

“No!” Sirius gasped, slapping his hands down over his ears, which hurt due to the new piercings. “I meant you two! How long have you been shagging?”

“Oh.” James turned bright red, “Yeah, I suppose that’s more logical. Uhm, maybe… like… mhgh…”

“I’m sorry?” Sirius asked, “Mind not mumbling?”

James pulled a wry face and shook his head. Sirius cocked an eyebrow, which also hurt.

Regulus groaned and leant over James, shoulder, “Six and a half month-“

“What!” Sirius shrieked, “You’ve been fucking m’y brother for six and a half months and haven’t told me?!”

“I don’t need to tell you all my personal business, Sirius.” Regulus said.

“Yeah, but, James does.” Sirius points at him.

“It’s true, I do.” James agreed, “Which is why I’m so sorry, Pads. I didn’t want to keep it from you, it’s just, we thought we should at first because I know you scared away the last two guys Reggie was involved with. And then… and then I just felt bad for lying and so I kept lying and… and now we’re here.”

Sirius shook his head at James, “I’m so disappointed in you.” He squinted his eyes, “Just fooling around with my brother like that-“

“We’re not fooling around, Sirius.” James defended, “We never were.”

“I don’t understand.” Sirius shook his head, “Are you shagging or not?”

James snickered, “Look, I didn’t even know I had a crush on Reggie till he kissed me one day, and then I immediately realised I liked him and… and well, we started going out. The shagging didn’t start till after then.”

Sirius took a little step back, looking them both over.

“It’s genuine, Sirius.” James smiled, putting his arm around Regulus’ shoulders, “I just didn’t- I was too scared… I was worried you wouldn’t approve of me for him.” James shrugged, “But we’re not just shagging… I love him.”

Sirius was taken aback, stuck silent for a moment. James loved him? Regulus was gazing up at James with flushed cheeks and a a smile he’d never seen his brother wear before, and it seemed like Regulus loved him back.

Sirius burst out crying.

James immediately rushed to his aid, making them both sit at the table, two chairs pulled out to face eachother. Regulus groaned and went to put on a new pot of tea.

James took Sirius’ hands, shushing him and looking terribly guilty, “I- I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Sirius. Is there something I can do to make it up to you? Is… Is there something I can do to make me worthy of him? I can’t lose- I can’t lose either of you, I’m so sorry, Sirius.”

Sirius sobbed so hard he couldn’t even speak. He shook his head to try and communicate with James, but the message did not go across clearly.

James had started to cry too, “I’m sorry, Sirius. I’m so sorry, I should have- I know I shouldn’t have lied, especially not for so long. But I was so worried- worried about this. I can’t-“ James sobbed so hard he started hyperventilating, “I don’t want to loose- loose-“

“Okay.” Pandora muttered, getting in between them, “Look at me, let’s take some deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. With me now, come on, in through the nose… out through the mouth.”

Sirius and James sat there for a moment, following pandoras instructions. James’ glasses were cracked and foggy, and Sirius was dreading having to reapply his eyeliner for a second time today.

Regulus set some teacups down on the table and poured them each some midnight blue coloured tea, “Dora’s recipe. Supposed to calm you.”

“I’m sorry.” James muttered after taking a big sip of tea, “I don’t know what to do, Pads. I can’t lose you both.”

Sirius took a few sips himself, taking a moment to compose himself, “You’re not going too.” He smiled, his eyes begging to water again, “I’m sorry I freaked you out.”

“What?” James asked, taken aback, his voice sounded hoarse.

Sirius set his cup down with shaky hands and burst into more tears, but he smiled through them, and they weren’t nearly as heavy as before, “You love him?!”

James sent a nervous glance over at Regulus and tentatively nodded, “As much as I love you- but, differently, of course.”

That only made Sirius cry harder. He tried to talk again, but all that came out was incoherent nonsense.

“Sirius, stop wailing and just talk for Godricks sake.” Regulus scoffed, “Or you can fucking get out of my house.”

Sirius took a deep breath and sniffled, “I’m sorry… I just… you love him! Reggie deserves to be loved.”

“Oh.” James muttered, poking his glasses up his nose. Across the table, Regulus went silent. James smiled and nodded, “Yeah, of course he does.”

“And you deserve to be loved.” Sirius mumbles.

James snickers, “Well, I hope I do.”

“And… and you have such a big heart, and love people so… so… in the best way.”

James smiled and nodded.

“And Reggie-“ Sirius sobbed more, “He struggles- but he really loves who he loves with his whole heart.”

Regulus embarrassedly buried his head in his hands and Barty gave him a playful shove.

“Out of everyone in the world, I approve of you both the most for eachother.” Sirius sobbed, “And it just makes me so happy that you love eachother!”

There was a moment of silence before James started laughing in that way he does when he really adores something. He reached out and grabbed Sirius’ hands, squeezing them tight.

“It makes me so fucking happy that you approve.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Sirius sniffled, “You’re my best friend, and he’s my brother. You’re my two favorite people, it only makes sense that you love eachother.”

“Do you mean that?” Regulus asked across the table.

“Of course.” Sirius nodded, reaching over to pet Reggie’s elbow, “And when you get married James will be my brother in law-“

“I bloody know!” James grinned, slapping his knee, “How good will that be?”

Sirius grabbed onto him excitedly.

After a moment, James smiled and wiped at the black smudge from Sirius’ tears, “This new look got anything to do with Remus’ thing for punks?”

Sirius smiled sheepishly, “Do you think he’ll like it?”

“He liked it enough when you got those nose piercings, he’ll probably pass out seing you like this.”

Sirius chuckled.

“Come on, let’s clean you up and get you back home to him.”

Sirius smiled and nodded, “Thanks, Prongs.”

When Sirius got home, Remus did in fact malfunction. He couldn’t talk proper words for two whole minuets before he pointed to their room and muttered, “Bed, now.” And Sirius could never say no to his Moony.

★ ★ ★

Wow I wrote this at a regular hour in the day, hats off to me. This was inspired by @gaybubblehead and my texts about how they hc sirius goes through a phase where he looks just like Barty in terms of style and stuff and I honestly agree he would do that. I mean they came up with the entire idea of this basically and told me I should write it, and for once I actually delivered. lol

So this one’s for you my dude <3

It was silly, I started this with barely any direction and just let the story write its self. I should be writing my Christmas fic butttttt no.

[moons-and-mobility-aids]

The Flu Part 4

Pairings: Poly!marauders x disabled!reader Summary: You get the flu. But for someone with your immune system, the flu is never just the flu. Warnings: Flu Word count: 2.8k words Series Masterlist | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

You feel the cool, crisp air of the castle as you return from St. Mungo's, and it's a stark contrast to the warm, sterile environment of the hospital.

You'd spent a few days in isolation as you recovered from the flu, but despite being out of it, your body was still weak and tired from the lingering effects of the illness, and the strain it had put on your body. And even though you were now back at Hogwarts, you weren't yet ready to go back to classes.

“I want you here for a couple more days," Madam Pomfrey insists. "Just to make sure you're well enough to return."

It was frustrating; you were so close to the Gryffindor common room, yet you were still stuck under the watchful eyes of Madam Pomfrey. You roll your eyes, but ultimately nod; there would be no arguing with her, and she was technically right - your body was still weak, and you knew that your immune system would take longer to recover than most people, and that could mean another infection or worse if you went back too soon.

James, Sirius, and Remus are waiting for you when you arrive, and as soon as you're settled into bed once again, they come over. They'd been worried about you, and while they tried not to show it too much, you can see the relief in their eyes when they spot you sitting up in bed.

James is the first one to reach you, dropping down into the chair beside your bed and immediately taking your hand. His grip is almost tight enough to hurt, his hazel eyes showing just how scared he's really been.

Sirius and Remus aren't far behind James; Sirius leans against the foot of the bed, crossing his arms in an attempt to look relaxed, while Remus hangs back slightly. He gives you some space, but doesn't look away, watching you intently, the same worry etched into his face.

"I'm okay," you promise, your voice hoarse from not speaking for so long.

They don't pressure you with questions right away or fuss over you too much - they know better than to overwhelm you when you've just woken up. And yet, there's a tension in the air that suggests that while they're relieved you're awake and doing better, they aren't happy about what had happened.

"You missed out on everything," Sirius tells you after a moment of silence. "I mean, I thought I was going to fail Transfiguration without you, but then Evans gave me her notes, and she really doesn't like me, so I think we can all agree that you need to hurry up and get better."

You laugh softly, shaking your head at him. He was obviously trying to keep things light, and you were grateful for it - as much as you knew how serious this situation could have been, you couldn't handle the weight of it right now.

"Didn't realise my life would be so boring if you weren't around," James says, looking up at you. His hand is still holding onto yours, his thumb drawing patterns across your skin. "And I don't want to even think about what the common room will look like. You haven't been there to clean up our messes, after all."

"I didn't think I was that important," you admit, smiling slightly.

"You are to us," Remus points out, and you glance up at him. He seems to be studying your face, taking in every detail, as if he's searching for something.

There's a pause before he speaks again, clearly picking his words carefully. "How do you feel?"

He looks at you curiously, as if he knows that you might lie to avoid them worrying, and you hesitate for a moment, unsure of whether or not you should lie. But you'd promised yourself that you wouldn't hide anything anymore, so, despite the fact that you knew they were going to worry more because of it, you tell the truth.

"Tired," you confess. "Weak. Not ill, though."

It wasn't surprising that you felt weak; aside from being seriously ill, you hadn't eaten properly in days. Madam Pomfrey would likely force some soup down your throat later to help you regain your strength, but until then, you'd probably continue to feel fragile and shaky, as if you were made of glass.

A sigh of relief passes through them, one that only you seem to see, and their bodies relax ever so slightly. They don't completely relax, however - you're not better yet, so why would they?

****

The boys stick close to you over the next few days, visiting between classes and bringing you news of what was happening in the outside world.

James manages to sneak some food out of the Great Hall for you, insisting that you eat something because even though your appetite had returned, it hadn't increased much.

"And this is why Y/N leaves us," Sirius says with a roll of his eyes, sitting down on the end of the bed. "You're being too fussy."

You shake your head at him, taking a bite of the apple James has held up to your mouth. He's clearly trying to get you to eat more by feeding you himself - and unfortunately, it seems to be working.

"I'm just looking after her," James retorts as he pulls away slightly, but not enough so that you can take the apple from him. "It's my job as her boyfriend."

Sirius shakes his head, scoffing softly under his breath, but doesn't respond, instead choosing to tell an exaggerated story about how Lily has been reigning hell on people while you were gone, making you giggle despite yourself.

Remus hangs back, saying very little unless spoken to directly. He hovers around, keeping a careful eye on you, watching every move you make to ensure you don't push yourself too hard. You'd noticed him doing it during their first visit, and while you found it annoying, you knew he was only doing it because he cared about you. And besides, Madam Pomfrey was hovering close-by, checking your vitals once every hour or two, and she wasn't shy when it came to telling them off if they got too boisterous.

You're relieved when Madam Pomfrey allows them to stay until curfew, completely ignoring her own rule for once, despite being hesitant on whether she should let them visit you again so soon. She's reluctant to allow them to do anything except sit there and talk with you, but they don't seem to mind too much, happy to just be near you after not knowing what would happen to you for almost a week.

James is ecstatic when he hears this, going straight for your hand which is under the covers and giving it a gentle squeeze. You can't return the gesture yet, still feeling weak and fragile, like you'd break if someone touched you wrong, but he doesn't seem to mind. He brings your knuckles up to his lips and presses a soft kiss against them, keeping his eyes on yours the entire time.

"I love you," he says quietly, smiling slightly but mostly looking serious. "And I'm glad you're okay."

The words feel heavy on your tongue, but you try anyway, managing to mumble, "love you too."

He smiles properly then, pressing another quick kiss to your hand before lowering it onto your stomach again, careful to keep it covered with the blankets so you wouldn't get cold.

****

You spend a few more days in the hospital wing, slowly but surely building your strength back up so that you could return to normal classes. It was boring and annoying and you couldn't wait to get out of there, no matter how much Madam Pomfrey insisted that you needed a lot of rest to recover.

Finally, after what felt like the longest week of your life, she agreed to discharge you from her care, but only on one condition: You had to take it easy for at least another week, not overexerting yourself or getting too tired, and report any signs of a relapse immediately - she'd given you a long list of what these could be, making sure you were aware of them all before letting you leave.

James, Sirius and Remus are already there when Madam Pomfrey makes the announcement, helping you pack up the small amount of belongings you'd accumulated while staying there. James is careful to keep an eye on you as he does this, though, clearly worried about you even if you weren't going far.

Remus takes charge of pushing your wheelchair, guiding you through the familiar halls of Hogwarts on the short but very slow journey back to Gryffindor Tower. The chair moved slower than you walked normally, which wasn't very fast as it was, but neither of you mind too much, taking your time because you don't have anywhere else to be right now.

The boys' presence is comforting, providing some silent support as you transitioned back into your regular surroundings, and you can't help but feel grateful for them.

The common room is warm and familiar, the fire crackling in its place on the other side of the room. The few people who are sitting there turn to look at you when you enter, but none of them say anything, instead just giving you a small smile before turning back to their conversations or work.

You’ve never been so relieved to see a room; it felt like coming home after being away for weeks, even though it hadn't quite been that long yet, despite how it felt.

"Welcome back," Remus murmurs as he pushes you towards your accessible bedroom, through the door which James had already opened. "We're glad you're okay."

You nod slightly, unable to speak without feeling choked up. James and Sirius help you into bed once Remus moves out of the way, moving slowly so that you can take your time. Sirius is careful, more than usual, making sure you're laying down comfortably before pulling the blankets up over you properly, tucking you in as if you were a child.

"Thanks, Siri," you say quietly, and he smiles sadly at you, pressing a quick kiss to your forehead before standing up again.

"Who gets the first hug?" Sirius asks, his grey eyes sparkling with mischief as he glances between James and Remus. There's a challenge in his voice, an invitation to contest this claim.

"I believe I should," James replies without missing a beat, his brow furrowing in thought. He steps forward, coming to a stop at the foot of your bed, and sits down near your feet. "I've been the most worried, after all."

"Says who?" Sirius scoffs, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the doorframe, every inch the picture of casual defiance.

Remus chuckles, shaking his head as if amused by their antics. Without a word, he lowers himself onto the edge of the bed, claiming the space beside you. His arm drapes gently across your waist, drawing you toward him until your sides are pressed together. You have another side, after all.

"Alright, enough," Remus murmurs, though there's a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "We're not here to argue about who gets to cuddle her."

There's a pause as they all look at one another, then back at you. You can see the concern etched in their faces, especially James's. He's always been the most protective out of the three, and now that he has an excuse to be even more so, he seems ready to use it.

"Yeah, let's figure this out," Sirius agrees after a moment. His voice is calmer than before, and when he sits down on your other side, he's careful not to jostle you too much.

They spend the next few minutes discussing what needs to be done for you. James insists that he'll help you catch up with your schoolwork once you feel better, promising to make sure you don't fall behind. Sirius counters by saying he'll carry your books to every class, wanting to lessen any physical strain on you.

"And I'll make sure she takes breaks when needed," Remus adds quietly from beside you. "Rest is important."

The words hang in the air between them, each sentence carefully constructed to show just how much they care about you.

****

As the days pass, they prove true to their word. Each of them becomes more protective over you, watching your every move like hawks, but never in a way that feels suffocating. Instead, it's comforting, knowing that they're there, ready to lend a hand or offer support whenever you need it.

You notice it in the little things—the way James's eyes flicker to you during meals, checking if you're eating enough; the subtle tightening of Sirius's jaw when someone jostles you in the hallway, ready to step in at a moment's notice; the quiet concern etched onto Remus's face as he watches you pour over your textbooks late into the night. You've never seen them quite so protective before, their usual playful banter tinged with an undercurrent of watchfulness that wasn't there before.

"Need anything else, sweetheart?" James asks for what must be the tenth time this evening. He leans against the doorway of your bedroom, arms crossed and brow slightly furrowed—a testament to his lingering worry.

"James, really, I'm fine," you assure him, trying not to let your smile waver even though you can feel the fatigue pulling at your bones. "You don’t need to check on me every half hour."

But despite your words, James doesn't seem entirely convinced. There's a tension in his shoulders that wasn't there before, one that only eases marginally when Sirius strides in, carrying a tray laden with sandwiches and pumpkin juice.

"I thought you could use a break," Sirius says, setting the tray down beside you. His grey eyes meet yours, reflecting a warmth that belies the casual shrug of his shoulders. "Besides, Prongs was driving me mad with his hovering."

A soft laugh escapes you, followed by a grateful nod towards Sirius. But as you reach for a sandwich, your hand trembles ever so slightly—a reminder of the strength you're yet to regain. It's a small thing, barely noticeable unless you're looking for it. And they are—always watching, always ready.

Remus catches it first, his gaze sharpening as he moves closer to you. "That's enough studying for tonight, Y/N," he declares softly, closing your textbook with a gentle push. "We promised Madam Pomfrey we'd make sure you rest."

His touch is light, almost hesitant, but it carries an unspoken promise—one that echoes through the silent room and settles in your heart. A vow made between friends, binding them together in the aftermath of a scare none of them had anticipated.

Days pass, and bit by bit, you regain the strength that had once slipped through your fingers like water. Each morning greets you with a little less pain and a little more energy, the dark circles under your eyes fading in time with the autumn leaves outside your window.

Madam Pomfrey insists on regular check-ins, her gaze sharp as she monitors your progress—a testament to the severity of your condition at St Mungo's. "Your immune system took quite a hit," she explains one afternoon while conjuring a small vial of potion for you. "It'll take some time before it fully recovers."

A sense of normalcy gradually returns to your life within Hogwarts' stone walls, but it's a new kind of normal—one tinged with caution and an awareness of your limitations. You resume attending classes, mindful not to push yourself too hard under the watchful eyes of your professors.

James, Sirius, and Remus are constant shadows by your side, their presence both comforting and grounding amidst the whispers that follow you down the corridors. They carry your books, shield you from the crowd during passing periods, and make sure you're eating enough—all subtle ways they've stepped up to support you without crossing boundaries.

"Slow down, Y/N," Remus chides gently when he catches you rushing to finish a Charms essay one evening. His hand covers yours, stilling the frantic movement of your quill. "There's no need to overwork yourself."

His voice is like a balm, soothing away the stress lines etching themselves across your forehead. You let out a breath you didn't realize you'd been holding, allowing your shoulders to sag against the backrest of your chair.

"Besides," James cuts in, his tone lighter as if trying to lift the weight off your chest, "Sirius here could use some help understanding the concept of 'expanding charms.' He thinks it's all about making his ego bigger."

The corners of Sirius's mouth twitch, a hint of a smirk playing at his lips even as he feigns offence. "Oi! I heard that, Prongs."