#remus works in a lab

[a-sunset-outside-my-window]

fic rec friday

“I don’t get it,” Sirius says truthfully. “Remus is such a nice person, why does everyone pretend like he’s some kind of wicked stepmother?”

James laughs joyfully and winks at Sirius. “Are we even talking about the same person?” He holds out his hand above his head. “Big guy, about this tall, curly hair? Temper like a sleeping dragon? Smart, but a bit full of himself? Can kill you with his eyes?”

Sirius raises his eyebrows and laughs as well. “No, I don’t think we are talking about the same person at all.”  

A love story about healing, new beginnings and growing up. Academia! Romance! Shared cigarettes, cute cats, lots of coffee and the most amorous business trip you have ever seen.

this one is a little angsty love story :D

i don't actually have a lot i can say about this, it's a no magic au love story

some favourite tropes include:

found family

hurt / comfort

love confessions in Prague

jily teasing each other

a cat

healthy relationships and boundaries

a bit of smut (definitely more than in my regular recs)

canonicly dead men as plot devices

(but they all end up dead in canon anyways so...)

this is honestly what I would describe as a weekend read and a bit simmilar to astronomia nova by sreka if you read my earlier fic recs.

if you like this one i have a nother fic very simmilar to this that i'll probably recommend soon, so stay tuned for that one i guess

as always, leave lots of love and kudos to the author and have an amazing rest of the week

[starofthewolff]

I love 'amazing friend' peter pettigrew because it makes the betrayal so much more painful. give me peter who learns that james has adhd and researches it for how best to support him. give me peter who spends hours in the potions lab and herbology classrooms trying to create numbing and soothing ointments to help remus on his bad joint pain days. give me peter who joins in on girls night, gossiping with them and letting them do his nails and makeup. give me peter who realises that sirius is in love with remus before they even realise themselves, and who prompts them in the direction of each other for months, without them ever realising. give me peter who tries to save regulus from his fate even as they both work for the dark lord, only because he knows how much sirius cares about his little brother.

idk man I just love peter pettigrew. (pre-betrayal....obviously)

[luveline]

HI MLLLL! I absolutely loved your fainting fic with James! Can you write like a part a part 2 or like a follow up where reader starts realizing that James isn’t as bad as she thought and she falls for him as he takes care of her bc he’s really worried? I love them sm 🥹

James takes care of you when you faint

James is acting weirder than usual… sort of… nice? fem, 1.2k

The days after you faint are just as hot, but you come into work. You can’t afford to miss it, and it’s not as though you’ll make the same mistake twice. 

The memory of what happened is hazy at the start. James had just opened the window, the breeze that filtered in cooling your hot skin. You’d felt sick, you’d tried to stand, and your head had gone blank. 

You woke with your face in James’ hand. You can remember it if you think about it enough, his head tilted down toward you, the sunshine on his skin, his soft smile. He’d felt like a different person. 

You’d felt different. 

“Can you send me that information from the lab, please?” 

You glance away from your computer, eyes tired. “Sorry?” 

“For the, uh, Mr. Nguyen?” James asks. “You didn’t send them to me. I can’t do them if you don’t send them.” 

“Right.” You blink away the phantom of his hand on your cheek. “Okay.” 

“Are you feeling alright?” 

That’s all he asks. Every day since you passed out, at various times and in various ways. Are you okay? Are you alright? Is it too hot in here? Do you want to swap desks with me? That last one had been a little patronising. You’d told him to leave you alone. Your desk is right next to the radiator in winter, it’s prime real estate, and you’re not giving it up just because you got a bit hot. 

“I’m fine,” you murmur, turning back to your computer to open outlook. “Just thinking.” 

“About what?” 

“About you not talking to me.” 

“Funny.” 

You drag and drop the paperwork for the tests he’d wanted. It’s easy to render an invoice but you hate doing it because it involves a lot of talking back and forth with clients. James, on the other hand, loves to talk. 

“There, sent it,” you say.

“Thank you.” 

Awkward. You pretend to be busier than you are for a few minutes, stealing company time without remorse. James types up an email beside you, the click of his keys quick and loud in your ears. 

Remus pops a pen lid across the way, scribbling onto a post it note that he sticks on his monitor. You know what time it is from the sounds alone. A half a minute later, Sirius slinks up from the front of the office to wrap his arm around Remus’ shoulders, sing-songing, “You’re coming with me, handsome.” 

“Are you coming?” Remus asks James. 

There’s a lapse of quiet. You stare at your computer, aware of a silent conversation, but not privy to its content. “I think I’ll stay,” James says eventually. 

“Okie dokie. Y/N, do you want to come, lovely?” Remus asks. “It’s not too hot.” 

“I’m fine,” you say, “thanks. Thank you.” 

You don’t feel like yourself since you fainted. You’d hoped it would go away once you had a better night’s sleep, flooded your system with cold water and good food, but you can’t kick it. You have no energy, no want to do more than turn up for work and go home again, and you know what it is that’s making you feel this way, but you can’t admit it to yourself. It crops up in your mind unbidden and you push it back down. 

“Sirius never used to act like that.” 

“What?” 

“Sirius. He was never like that when we were growing up. Love makes him pathetic.” 

Love is a tender touch. Sirius had laid his arm over Remus’ shoulder without any hug or kiss, but it was as loving as either. To touch someone like they need a kind hand. 

Like James had held your face. His arm behind your back as he led you to the break room. 

“Do you wanna come with me?” James asks. 

You hold in a second confused, What? He’s standing now, you hadn’t noticed him moving, his water bottle in hand as he pushes his chair back under the desk. 

“Don’t wanna leave you here and have you smash your head in when there’s no one around. Imagine the clean up.” 

You get up on impulse. You grab your drink, and the back of your chair, and you stand there wondering if you’re about to be dizzy again. Your chest feels tight, but that weight of unconsciousness doesn’t come. 

“Hey,” James says. “Seriously, are you okay? You’re not like you today.” 

There’s a softness in his voice you can’t believe. “Can I eat lunch with you?” 

You wish that you said it to avoid the question. James wrinkles his nose, your heart drops into the pit of your stomach, but then he says, “I just invited you first.” 

“I… have to get my stuff from the fridge.”

“Me too.”

You walk slowly, worried it’s a joke, another stupid joke, but James comes up behind you and his hand graces your shoulder with the barest pressure. You can smell something sweet and warm on him, like jojoba oil. Maybe argan. “Sure you’re okay? You look peaky. Is it the heat?” he murmurs.

“It’s supposed to rain tonight.” 

“You can’t answer anything, can you?” James laughs with a vocal fry that goes straight to your chest. “I could ask you how many fingers you’d have and you’d tell me you have two hands.” 

James walks with you to the kitchen, where you gather your food and warm it in the microwave. He leads you to the break room, and makes sure to choose a table with enough space for you, even while people he’s friendly with beckon him forward. They look at you with unashamed curiosity, but James pretends not to notice so you do too. 

You’re expecting a joke. Aw, look, we’re finally on a date. Or Wow, you know how to use a spoon, I had no idea you were so dexterous. 

“Did you see they’re making a new movie about those aliens? The ones who can hear you everywhere you go?” 

You squeeze your spoon. “Uh, no, I didn’t see it.” 

“It looks awesome. I’ll show you the trailer on my computer after lunch, it looks just as good as the first two. That actress, the one with the really nice eyes is in it.” 

You have no idea who he means. James talks to you like a friend. He offers you some of his papris and he passes you a napkin from his pocket when you get food on your hands. James Potter might actually be a really nice guy. All it took was for you to garner his pity for him to show it. How pathetic you must seem to need it. 

“How do you feel now?” he asks as you clip the lid back onto your Tupperware. “You look better. Do you feel better?” 

“I’m fine, James.” 

“You frown so much I can’t tell.” He butts his knee against yours. “Alright, batten the hatches, I’m gonna carry you back to your desk.” 

“Why?” you ask in a rush. 

“Can’t fall if you don’t walk.” 

“James, don’t try it. I’m serious.” 

“You don’t sound serious. You sound like you want me to carry you.” 

“I’ll report you to Human Resources.” 

“For what? Being helpful?” 

“Harassment.” 

“Fine, but I’m not gonna catch you this time.” 

[maya-caffrey]

Rain, Cinnamon, Cologne, and Conditioner

pairing: sirius black x reader

summary: Amortentia week is always chaotic. Especially so when you're lab partners with longtime frenemy sirius black

warnings: Language maybe, fic from reader's pov

a/n: been forever since i wrote for a marauder, lets hope this is acceptable 🙏🏻

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Although Slughorn certainly meant well, there was simply nothing that one could do to hate him a bit less during Amortentia week. Dramatic breakups preceded by "What do you MEAN you smell my sister's perfume!?", and hasty love confessions followed by immediate regret, for a spectator like me this was the best week ever at Hogwarts.

The class smelled faintly of rain and cinnamon to me, a lingering effect of the neighboring cauldrons.

"I honestly have no idea what I'm supposed to be smelling here, like, I am certain no one has smelled this exact smell before."

"James, come on, that is clearly Lavender."

"What?"

"I smell Lavender!" she said, weirdly enthusiastic about the smell.

"Lily, honey, say that again but slowly."

It took her a minute before she realized. Even the smartest people get confuddled sometimes. Of course, she'll never know what it smelled like to him.

Somewhere in the back, I saw Lucius Malfoy almost poke some poor kid's eye out with his wand, and next to his table was Severus Snape, staring menacingly into a cauldron that definitely did not have Amortentia in it. He was a weird kid. Creeps me out still.

Anyway, that brings us to Sirius and I, who couldn't agree on who gets to put the sneezewort in.

"After you," I said, not wanting to bear the brunt of what will follow. You see, Sneezewort gets its name from the fact that whenever it's added to a potion, it produces a puff of smoke that causes those closest to sneeze for a good entire minute.

"Oh, no, go ahead. I insist."

"Well, I insist more."

"I insist the most, then."

"Sirius, come on."

"Hey, you started it!"

"Well, you end it. I don't want to keep sneezing!"

"Oh, good, because it's my favorite hobby, sneezing incessantly."

There was no compromise in sight. That is, until-

"Alright Sirius, I'll tell you what. You convince Peter to do this, I'll get Marlene to go with you to Hogsmeade. For real this time."

"Please, I don't need you to be my wingman, I'm perfectly charming all on my own, thank you very much," he said, signature smirk decorating his face.

"You know you need my hel-"

"Yes I do, I was kidding, thank you so much, I love you."

I shook my head and laughed while waiting for Peter to take whatever bait Sirius was laying out. Sure, he was presumptuous and annoying, and the banter was endless, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't look forward to it every day at this point.

After Remus begrudgingly dragged a red-in-the-face Peter away from our table, we stirred the potion 3 times, and all that was left was to add the pieces of Lovelog. We added them at the same time and instinctively held our breaths and waited for the potion to turn pink, which it did. However, it didn't work.

"Dude, I smell nothing."

"Yes, thanks for pointing it out, (Y/n). Extremely astute observation. 10 points to Gryffindor."

"Oh, okay, sure, be all haughty after fucking up the potion."

"I fucked up? That's presumptuous! For all we know, you screwed up."

"Please, I used Slughorn's recipe down to the smallest detail there is no way it was me. You were the one who kept taking off to 'charm Marlene with your smile' every 5 minutes."

"Hey. I'm playing the long game and it will work. Eventually. Just- Admit that you screwed up, please?"

"Oh, no, no we are not doing this. Remus, could you come here, please?"

"Me? Oh, no, love. I am not getting involved with this," said Remus, vaguely gesturing in our general direction.

James threw a raisin-looking thing at Sirius' head to get his attention which met its mark, followed by a faint 'ow'.

"Oi dickhead! Lily says you're potion's working fine. She smells Lavender."

"Well dip me in milk and call me a cookie 'cause I cannot smell anything for the life of me over that fruity conditioner of yours," said Sirius, in an annoyingly accusatory tone that set me over the edge because well first of all fuck you. second of all-

"Oh, you're one to talk Mr I-must-use-the-entire-bottle-of-cologne. You smell like an axe showroom" Yeah, get his ass, me. "Also, I didn't use conditioner today, you pompous dick."

"Yeah? Well, get ready to feel stupid because I ran out of cologne yesterday. Ha. In your face." Wait, what?

Silence.

Contemplative silence.

A whole lot of good old silence.

Faces contorting in ways like never before as we unpack what just happened, in sweet, painful, silence.

"(Y/n) did you-"

"Uh-uh. Yep. Apparently. And you, uh,"

"Big time, yes."

"Oh, okay, so, uh, what now?"

"We could talk about it?"

Sirius Black wants to "talk it out". Yeah, we don't got this.

"Hey morons, you need to fu-"

"Yeah, thank you, Remus. We got it." "Yeah, Cheers, mate."

[inkdrinkerworld]

Zombie apocalypse Remus 🫣

oh oh this could be good!

Remus finds you under a fallen building. He'd heard screaming and barking and thought there'd been another attack, but it was morning and they were never out in the morning, so he'd hazarded a chance to investigate.

Your leg was trapped and the moment you saw a figure walking towards you without a limp and a gait in their step you nearly cried.

"Please help me." you murmur pain lancing through your leg as you lean back a little to look at the tall man before you. The golden dog near you yips and growls and you reach a shaky hand to her head.

"How'd you get stuck there?" The man stoops to be closer to your level. "I'm Remus by the way."

You tell him your name through a hiss. "It fell while I was" you hesitate. "I'm a researcher, I needed some books and my dog was keeping watch."

Remus sighs and smiles sympathetically, "What type of research?"

"On this whole thing, I had a lab some time ago."

"A scientist?" You nod and Remus smiles. "Ca you try to wiggle your toes?" he asks it when you twist a little and hiss.

You shrug a little hiccup breaking through your words as you try, "I think I am, but I don't know."'

He shushes you quietly, moving a few of the bigger pieces off your leg. You take the time to study him, there's a few scars on his face and hands, but he's beautiful and from the looks of things so far; very kind.

Remus is gentle as he gets closer to exposing your leg, "Moment of truth." he whispers and you nod.

When he removes all of the rocks, your boots come into view and he smiles. "These might've saved you, love." He tugs your leg free and you begin crying again, this time from happiness. "Can I take it off so we can see if anything's broken?"

You nod, "Were you a doctor?" the words make him chuckle and you feel yourself become just a little embarrassed as you watch Remus make delicate work of removing your boots and socks.

"No, but I have pretty clumsy friends. I've learnt what to look for."

You nod, "Maybe when all of this is over, you can actually become a doctor." Remus hums, a soft smile on his face as he pulls off your sock.

"Twist your ankle," you do it with ease. "Wiggle your toes," Remus hides a smile at the polish on your toes; it reminds him of the normal life you've lost within the last month and a half. "Everything seems perfect dove."

You smile, "Thank you for coming to help me."

"It's no problem, do you have any place to stay?" You shake your head as you slip your foot back into your shoe.

"Circe and I go from place to place together. She warns me away from the smell of death."

Remus nibbles on his lip as he stands too, "Well, I have a little hideout with my friends, I'm sure they wouldn't mind it if I brought you and Circe along."

You look up at him, eyes wide as saucers. "I don't want to encroach, there might not be enough food."

Remus shrugs, "There'll never be enough food. Plus you and Circe might be more help than hinderance."

"If you're sure." You sling your leather bag onto your shoulder and whistle to Circe.

"I'm positive, dove." You nod once as you take a few test steps that turn into you skipping over all of the fallen concrete and passing what your mind knows are bodies but your eyes refuse to process.

The world is a sleet of grey and red all over, it's only been a month and society has devolved to it's baser emotions- violence and greed.

You shake the thoughts away. "Lead the way then, Remus. Circe and I will follow."

[wolfstarlibrarian]

Hi! I'm trying to find a wolfstar fic I read earlier this year.

Here's all the information I remember about it:

- it was on ao3

- I don't remember the rating, I don't think there was any smut in it tho

- it was remus, lily, Alice, frank, moody, and Marlene working at an antarctica lab. Sirius and James were videographers making a documentary about them and their work.

-lily was a botanist. Remus was the director of the whole lab. Remus had a fear of going back to the mainland because of something that happened with his dad. Remus used a typewriter and was always awake super early (or he went to bed super late I don't remember)

-It was angst and fluff I think. Remus was a very reserved but sirius was whipped for him from the beginning

-it took place in antarctica, or some other very cold location. The fic lasted the duration of about a year. There was a boat that they took out to plot herds of whales or something.

-it was a muggle au

Hope this helps!! And thank you.

This is VERY helpful and a fic the Librarian absolutely adores. Below you'll find the fic, a book I think you might really like as it also takes place at the south pole research station.

Rourke by @smodernlife

“Lupin didn’t seem pleased that I was filming last night,” Sirius said lightly.

“Most people that come here…” Lily spoke slowly, choosing her words carefully, “Remus put it like this to me once: most people who choose to spend years of their life so far from civilization have a reason for leaving it behind. Remus wanted someone like us and he held out for so long because he expected he would get sent a bunch of finicky artsy types. I don’t think he expected you. And now that you’re here, I don’t think he quite knows what to do with you.”

When wildlife filmmaker Sirius Black arrives on a remote Antarctic island for a year-long assignment, he isn't phased by the freezing wind, the perpetual darkness, or the hostility he meets from some of the biologists at the research base. He is used to living an itinerant existence. He is comfortable with unforgiving conditions. He expects the world to treat him harshly. But he does not expect to fall in love.

📚📚 Book Rec 📚📚

Myles Below Freezing: Set at the south pole research station. It's a fluffy romcom mystery that's mlm (basically wolfstar) with the MOST LOVABLE wlw side couple. Anxiety rep, forced proximity, oblivious dating.

Excerpt:

[fourmoony]

𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 (𝟐)

james potter x f!reader

fluff. 1.4k

Summary: James, Sirius, and Remus are bested by Hope.

part 1 - part 3 - part 4 - masterlist

...

James is standing in the middle of the chaos surrounding your living room.

You’re just short of thirty seconds through the front door – the majority of which you spent kicking off your shoes and setting them on the shoe rack – and already, you miss the inside of the potion’s lab. You’ve been there all day, daydreaming about being at home. But now. Now, you wish you’d stayed behind with Lily. She’s high maintenance, sure. She’s bossy and full on about it because she’s currently heading the Order’s potion’s labs all over the country – she’s stressed. But Lily Evans is nowhere near as high maintenance as your boyfriend and his friends.

This, you should have known.

Remus and Sirius are bickering loudly over the sound of Hope’s high-pitched screaming. Remus is holding Hope, arms outstretched and a concerned look on his face, like he’s hesitant to have her near her in her current state. He looks panicked. Sirius is trying to strong arm your daughter into a nappy, but she’s kicking her legs so violently that you know he has no hope. He mutters something at Remus, but his voice is cheery and soothing – you suppose in attempt to keep Hope from getting any more violent. Remus huffs and tries lifting your screaming baby up, then down, as if bouncing her. She only cries more.

There are crumpled nappies scattered across the floor and a small bag of what you assume is used wipes – you’re thankful that at least those have been disposed of in a clean way. The fire is roaring, covered by the grate, and the room is far too warm – even for the middle of January. There are bright coloured toys on every surface and a kid’s broom taking up space on the single armchair nearest the kitchen. There’re half drunken milk bottles on the coffee table and half a jar of mashed potato and gravy puree, the spoon of which is sitting on a coaster, still covered in mush.

James’ eyes snap up the minute he nears your shaky intake of breath, and everything stops. His hands are full of a mix of crumpled nappies and baby toys, and his eyes are wide. His hair is messier than usual, a clear sign that he’s been running his hands through it in a fit of stress.

“Hey,” James breathes.

Remus and Sirius have frozen like children with their hands caught in the cookie jar. You bypass your boyfriend, eyes narrowed at Remus, who turns from Sirius and thrusts Hope toward you. You take her and immediately, she quiets. You hold her to your chest, hand gently rubbing the back of her head. Remus and Sirius physically release, both letting out a deep breath. James closes his eyes, enjoys the silence for a moment.

“James, pick up the nappies. Outside bin,” You point at James, and he springs into action, nodding enthusiastically, “Remus, toys in the box,” You point to the pink box Sirius made Hope that rests to the right of the fireplace, “Sirius, wash the bottles, and bin the puree.”

The three men spring into action around you while you mentally thank Lily for being so bossy and rubbing off on you. Hope is making quiet noises against your collar bone, and you melt. She’s ten months now, crawling and babbling non-stop It’s been challenging, balancing your work in the potion’s lab with James’ order missions whilst still being able to spend time with Hope together. James is absolutely positive she’s defying nature and biology and growing too fast. But you don’t mind. You’re in constant awe of your daughter and all the milestones she makes. You’d never admit it, but you cried the first time she crawled.

“Hey, sweet girl.” You mumble, lips pressed to Hope’s head.

Her hair is growing fast and dark. There’s enough to put in pigtails, now. She doesn’t have any in today. Simply because James cannot comprehend the idea of a hair tie. Hope tilts her head, bright blue eyes no longer filled with tears, but with wonder. It’s been seven months of being her mum, and your breath still hitches every time she looks at you with that babied wonderment, with that unwavering love and trust. She’s so beautiful, a gift you wonder every day what you ever did to deserve.

“She’s been a moody little witch, today,” Remus comments, launching crinkle books and teddy bears into the pink trunk as he walks around the room.

“She’s teething, I think.” You tell him.

You shift hope in your arms and reach for her nappy bag that’s been abandoned by the doorway into the living room. She wriggles a little when you set her down onto the changing table under the window – the changing table James has said he’ll take upstairs a million times and never has – but settles when you start to hum softly. With a clean nappy and a fresh set of pyjamas, Hope is a different baby. She’s calm and quiet, pliant in your arms when you lift her again to cradle her. Her eyes blink slowly, tiny lips pouted.

James and Sirius return at the same time, the latter wiping down a fresh bottle with a tea towel, collecting any spillage. He turns it over, dropping a bit on his wrist before passing it over, “Perfect temperature.”

“Thanks,” You sit on the suite – now void of any and all toys – and hold the bottle to Hope’s lips.

She takes it greedily and you smile. James presses a kiss to your head before taking a seat beside you both. His hand rests on your thigh, his attention taken by your little girl. Sirius takes a seat on the floor in front of you both, a gentle finger running up and down the bottom of Hope’s foot. She wriggles, gives his hand a little kick and he laughs. Sirius has been obsessed with Hope since the minute he saw her. He’s the best uncle. He spoils Hope beyond belief and loves her as fiercely as you and James do.

Remus required a little convincing. He loves Hope. It’s obvious in the way he reads to her, in the soft voice he uses when he talks to her. But he’s hesitant. Sirius reckons it’s because he’s scared of hurting her with his heavy hands and lanky limbs. You know he never could. He’s sitting across the room, twirling the toy broom in his hands while he sits in the armchair.

“You better not have put her on that broom, Sirius.” You warn the boy at your feet.

He makes grabby hands for Hope now that she’s settled, and you pass her over gently before relaxing against James. Sirius stands slowly, carefully, and makes his way over to Remus, sitting down at his feet instead. They enter their own world, softly cooing at Hope and watching her as she drinks the milk. Remus runs a gentle hand over the top of her head, and another hand across Sirius’ shoulders. You smile.

“Today was hard,” James speaks quietly, fingers playing with yours on your lap.

“I can tell.” You tease.

James huffs a laugh, “I swear it wasn’t even that bad until like, twenty minutes before you got home.”

You know very well James would have tried to keep the house as tidy and calm as possible for as long as possible. He’s a good dad. He’s got a good touch with Hope. She settles with him every time. But he also gets overwhelmed easily.

You eye Sirius and Remus. They’re so calm. So, content.

“I hope they have this, one day.” You whisper, eyes looking up at James.

He’s as beautiful as the day you met him. But he’s older now. There’s stubble on his jaw, a result of his busy schedule. His eyes are a honey hazel that makes you melt, and he turns to look at you with so much love and adoration that you can’t do anything but lean forward and kiss him. His answer is delayed by the wide smile he gives you. But it comes with a faraway look that you assume is a yearning for Sirius and Remus to have everything they could ever dream of.

His fingertips brush up your arm, his warmth encompasses you. You feel content, willing to forget how horrible the world outside your home is.

“I hope so, too, baby.” He mumbles, lips pressed to the crown of your head.

Sirius laughs when Remus flinches because Hope grabs his index finger and hangs on for dear life. They share a smile a second later, and Sirius rests his head on Remus knee, both of them staring down at the beautiful little girl in Sirius’ arms.

“Love you.” You tell James.

He squeezes you, “Love you, too.”

[my-rats-call-me-daddy]

Hii!

I'm Peter, but more importantly I have three pet rats and they are the loves of my life, I will talk about Cheddar, Gravy and Meatball a lot.

Left to right is Cheddar enjoying a piece of his namesake, Gravy looking up at me innocently which means that she caused some chaos somewhere, and Meatball playing her favorite game, stealing my stuff Stardew Valley.

Cheddar: he/him Gravy: she/her Meatball: she/her

When I'm not with my lovely pets, you can find me playing chess, doodling or doing some gardening. I'm working on making a garden that Gravy, Cheddar and Meatloaf can play in!

And of course you can't play chess alone, so I'll often rope some of my friends into playing with me!

[list to be updated when everyone's made their accounts lol]

@deer-in-head1ights - James Potter, one of my best friends!

@siriusly-underrated - Sirius Black, another one of my best friends!

@r-moony-lups - Remus Lupin, yet another one of my best friends!

(how did I get three best friends?? /pos)

@marlene-and-co - Marlene McKinnon, she kinda scares me

@d3ad-l1ttle-st4r - Estelle Black, Sirius's sister

@madprofessorevan - Evan Rosier, idk him very well but he likes plants and art so he can't be too bad (just as long as you don't use lab rats >:( )

@pandoras-g1fts - Pandora Rosier, she seems cool and also not entirely human

@l0ve-1s-str4nge - Xenophilius Lovegood, idk him very well but he seems nice

@ultim4te-br4t-b4rty - Barty Crouch Jr, scarier than Marlene

@tarotpills - Sybill Trelawney, has terrible taste in men and is a little unsettling but I think it's a good thing

@ur-fav-theatre-kid - Emmeline Vance, she seems so cool

@mary-andher-lamb - Mary MacDonald, one of the few people who I haven't beem scared to talk to upon meeting them!

@lilianjaneevans - uhh idk if I'm suppposed to put Lily Evans, Lily-Jane Evans or Lilian Evans or Lilian-Jane Evans but she's intimidating in a "that's a goddess "way

@dorcas-meadow3s - Dorcas Meadowes, idk her well but her name makes me feel like I'm running through a field of flowers with a fairy princess

@graveyards-and-rosemary Severus Prince, idk him well but i like his style

Other stuff about me: I'm 16, i'm a guy so he/him please

I can get easily overwhelmed but I do in theory like talking to people

[ooc: he'll probably end up aroace and possibly non binary but he doesn't know that yet]

This is a rp account; don't like don't watch/read/interact

Also I have far too many classes so I'll be as active as I can be but I can't promise a quick answer lol

[moonlightspencie]

Till the Gravity's Too Much

Chapter 5 of ‘treacherous’

Pairing: Remus Lupin x Reader

Word Count: 5.2k

this is a turning point chapter

Being able to switch over to almost exclusively working on medicine for the Order was a blessing and a half. Of course, you were a bit nervous when you first decided to switch over, but after the encouragement from Remus and Sirius, you felt a little better about it. You spoke with Dumbledore about the change privately, letting him be the one to break the news to everyone else. You could tell there were a few who disagreed with you stepping back from being so deeply involved, but the majority was supportive: and that was enough for you.

For as good as things were going with the Order, they were even better at work. You were in the lab with Nemora to work on that no-longer-entirely-experimental extract you’d used on Remus for the first time months ago. You and Nemora finally named the herb ‘arcitasanen’, and decided to make a real potion with the extract of the plant. You ended up using a bit of dittany, the arcitasanen, neem, and salt water. Theoretically, it was designed to be less painful and more fast-acting than the extract on its own.

“Okay, I promise I didn’t do this on purpose,” you say to Nemora as you lift up your pant leg. “But I cut myself shaving, and I may or may not have done anything to help it so that we could test out the new potion.”

Nemora put her hands on her hips, being sure to give you a stern look. Though she already started walking backwards to grab the potion from one of the tables you had used to mix a few test vials. She hurried over to you as you propped your leg up on a stool.

“I don’t approve of this, by the way.”

“Right. And it was all very stupid and immature of me,” you say mindlessly. “Now, let’s see if it works cause this thing has been stinging like a son of a bitch all day.”

She hid a small laugh at that, dabbing the potion on a cotton cloth. “Ready, dear?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She pressed the cloth to the cut, and you winced out of habit. But, that was just it: it was purely out of habit. You laughed incredulously.

“That’s a hell of a fast-acting potion,” you exclaim, beaming. 

She lifted the cloth, practically squealing when she saw the cut had disappeared. Not even the faintest mark left over. 

“Oh my days, we did it!”

“We did it!” you repeated, springing up on both feet to wrap her in a tight hug. “Nemora, you are a genius! ”

“Oh, I know I am, dear,” she replied with a small laugh, squeezing you just as tight. “But you were as much of a part of this as I am.”

“Oh!” You let go of the hug, stepping back with stars in your eyes. “Holy shit. I have to go tell Remus!”

She gave you a knowing look that you promptly ignored as you grabbed a vial and ran out of the building. As soon as you were in the open, you apparated to Remus’s cottage, breathing heavily from sheer joy and excitement. You pounded on the door, and were greeted by a tired-looking Lupin. He gave you a curious expression.

“What’s got you all–”

“We did it!”

He quirked a brow, rubbing his cheek with one hand. “Did what, exactly?”

“Do you remember that herb essence I used on you a while back?”

He nodded. “Of course I do.”

“It’s not just an essence anymore,” you beamed, pushing past him.

“Come on in,” he said a bit sarcastically.

“ Someone’s grumpy.”

“ Someone woke me from a rather pleasant nap.”

You rolled your eyes, pushing the vial into his chest. “Fast acting, nearly painless, no marks left behind.”

His eyes widened a little. “Really?”

“Really. It’s a fully-fledged potion now. No scarring, little to no pain, and works in seconds . Rem, this is a game-changer!”

A smile spread on his face. “Wow. I’m… so proud of you. This is incredible.”

“All thanks to you. I never would’ve gotten this job if not for you.”

He smiled softly. “I’m sure you’d be changing lives somewhere no matter what.”

You looked at him for a moment, sighing softly. Even exhausted, you could swear he was glowing somehow. The sun setting cast a beautiful light in the room, and it reflected off of his soft brown hair in a way that nearly had your heart stopping. You only snapped out of it once he ducked his head to try and get your attention.

“You alright?” he asked, the faintest bit of a cheeky smile on his face.

You nodded quickly, glancing away for a moment before looking back at him.

“Great. Truly, I’ve never been better. And now… now next time you get hurt I won’t have to come save the day,” you joked softly.

He shook his head. “You say that as if I don’t enjoy you coming to tend to me.”

“You do?”

His smile faded to a simple aura of contentment. “Yes. I do.”

“Maybe I’ll just have to spend more time with you when you’re not ill, then.”

He shifted on his feet uncomfortably at that, seemingly snapping out of his contentment. He cleared his throat.

“So… tea?” he asked, already turning for the kitchen.

You sighed, biting back a groan of exasperation. You tailed the man as he walked to his kitchen.

“Remus…”

“You like earl grey, yeah?”

“Remus,” you said again.

He glanced at you with wide eyes as soon as he stopped at the stove. “Yes?”

“Why do you keep doing that?”

“Doing what?” 

He shook his head, filling the kettle.

“Changing the subject or literally running off every time…” you huffed a breath.

“I don’t run off.”

“Yes, you do!”

He stayed silent, turning on the stove as he put the kettle down on the burner. You approached him, standing just to the side of him.

“Any time there is the slightest inkling slipping from you that you might like me, you run off,” you state, heart racing at the admitted implication that you likely felt the same way.

He swallowed, speaking quietly, “I do like you. You are… a fantastic friend to me.”

You could have screamed. You were certain you’d at least implode.

“You know what I mean, and I’m not talking about friendship.”

“I am.”

“You are so stubborn,” you groan, covering your face with your hands. “I don’t understand. You’ll practically blatantly flirt with me one second and then run off for tea or snacks or some other stupid ass excuse the next second!”

“I’m… I’m not–”

“Not what? Not flirting? Or not running off? Cause we both know if you say either of those, you’re lying.”

“Now is not the time for this.”

You look around the kitchen, scrunching up your face.

“Now isn’t the time? Well, pardon me, but unless Harry’s lurking around with that invisibility cloak, I’m pretty sure we’re in the clear to chat, Lupin.”

“I’m tired.”

“Well, I’m tired too. Mostly of your bullshit, but that’s neither here nor there.”

He cracked the tiniest smile at that, though he tried hiding it. You sighed, trying to be angry. But it was hard when his eyes twinkled like that. Damn it.

“Remus… please. This is ridiculous,” you sigh softly. “And… and if you won’t admit why you’re doing that for real, then I’m just gonna take Sirius’s word for why you are.”

He slowly turned his head, looking suspicious.

“Sirius said something?”

You quirked a brow, knowing that would work. 

“Yep. He said you have a massive, horrible, embarrassing crush on me. So I guess I’ll just have to believe that you’re no better than a schoolboy in that regard and that you’re scared to talk to a girl.”

“That’s childish.”

“I’m still in my early 20’s. I’m allowed.”

He huffed a sigh. “Sirius is an idiot.”

“But you won’t tell me what’s really going on, so I have no choice but to trust him,” you sigh dramatically, crossing your arms. 

He deadpanned, looking at you quite unamused. 

“You’re going to…” he shook his head with a huffed breath. “Fine. I can’t believe you’re using Padfoot against me.”

“He’d be awfully glad I am, I’m sure,” you smirk a little in victory.

“Right,” he scoffed lightly. “I… You just…”

“What?”

“You’re too young.”

“Oh, Merlin’s fucking sake,” you grumble.

“Whoa,” he said quickly, taken aback by your exclamation as if you’d yelled it.

“You’re being serious?”

“I’m being Remus.”

You rolled your eyes again. “Not funny.”

He merely looked at you, clearly not wanting to talk about this. But you were sick of skirting around the issue.

“I’m too young, so you decide to act like a damn primary school boy by avoiding me any time you realize you’re flirting? Yeah, very mature.”

“Don’t be ridiculous–”

“Me!?”

“Yes, you!” 

You scoff, taking a step closer. “Of the two of us, it seems you’re the one with an immaturity problem, Lupin.”

“You just got your first big-girl job and flat this year . I’m too old for you, and to suggest otherwise is… it’s pure delusion.”

“So now I’m delusional?”

He scoffed. “I didn’t say that.”

“You may as well have!”

“You are insufferable sometimes,” he muttered, rolling his eyes.

“And you’re a coward.”

He looked deeply offended by that, standing up straight as he took a step nearer.

“How am I a coward?”

“Just admit you like me!”

“No!”

“Why not?”

“Because I–” he floundered for an answer.

“You do, and you know it!” You shook your head incredulously, taking another step until you were most definitely in his personal space. “We spent most of our free time together, or together with Sirius. I can see the way you look at me. I know… I know you feel something for me that isn’t just friendship.”

“Well, it’s not like anything could come of it,” he retorted, almost in an angry voice, but with an expression that reeked of desperation.

You were breathing heavily, angry at him and yourself and… and unable to stop yourself from noticing how close you were. You couldn’t help but to notice his eyes glancing quickly at your lips like he couldn’t stop himself. You noticed his own lips, slightly parted as he sucked in a small breath. You noticed how he smelled… like pine and his books and tea and some little smattering of cologne or body wash. You noticed, upon looking up into his eyes again, that he was looking at you the same way.

The pull was magnetic. Like a slippery slope that you couldn’t stop yourself from sliding down. You couldn’t tell who leaned in first, only that you both did. There was no denying it was a mutual effort. All you could tell was that your heart practically lept from your body as the whistle of the tea kettle went off and both of you jumped back as if you’d been caught doing something scandalous. 

He scrambled to turn off the burner, standing at the stove with his chest heaving as he dropped his head into his hand. You stared at him, completely dumbfounded. You could swear you almost tasted him without your lips ever having actually touched.

“Remus,” you uttered softly, though it felt more like you were begging.

“You like earl grey,” he stated, moving to pour the tea in the two cups at the side of the stove. “I don’t know why I asked earlier if you liked it. I know you do.”

You merely watched as he busied himself, making each cup the way you both liked it. He took both to the living room, and you followed behind like a lost puppy. He sat down, setting your mugs on the two coasters he hadn’t moved in months. You sat in your spot on his couch, and he sat in his. Neither of you touched your tea yet, knowing it was still too hot. He handed you the book you’d been reading the last time you had come for a visit.

“I put a bookmark in where you were last time,” he muttered quietly, still somehow not shying away from scooting the slightest bit closer as he did every time.

You felt like you were in a daze, staring down at the book. You couldn’t comprehend all that had just happened, and here he was… in his routine.

“Page 94,” he said nonchalantly.

You looked at him as he leaned his head back, closing his eyes. 

“Remus.”

“Our tea is too hot. You always read while it cools.”

You were silent for a few seconds before nodding, “Yes.”

“I like to listen to you read, and you always do,” he stated again, keeping his eyes shut. “Our tea is too hot.”

“But…”

“Please.”

You swallowed, then nodded again. “Okay.”

Another month passed by since the incident in Remus’s kitchen. Realistically, your benchmark for time passing should have been based on that being the day you finished the potion. But somehow, not kissing Remus in the kitchen took up much more of your mental space than a life-changing potion.

It was embarrassing.

You and Nemora had since done several trials on the potion, eventually naming it after the herb itself: Arcitasanen. 

It had incredible trial runs, and was quickly introduced to magical hospitals throughout Europe, with the ingredients being vetted to be used in other countries as well. You were living your dream, being able to create things that would save people. Working a job you adored. Having time to be with your friends and family. 

But all you could think about was that stupid non-kiss.

You sprawled out on your couch as Sirius excitedly set up a muggle turn-table in your apartment.

“This is going to be incredible. You’ll love it,” he said, plugging in everything. “Our dear old Mooney introduced this to me ages ago, back when we were in school. These speakers will get you into some trouble with your neighbors if you’re not careful.”

“Mm,” you nodded, staring at the ceiling.

You heard silence for a moment, then another. That was concerning. You turned your head, jumping out of your skin when you saw Sirius had come only a few feet away from you, staring at you.

“Merlin’s beard, Pads! You trying to kill me?”

“My sunshine girl hasn’t been very sunny lately.”

You huffed a sigh.

“Is this about Mooney again? He ignoring you?”

“No.”

“No, it’s not about Moons, or no, he’s not ignoring you?”

“He’s not ignoring me.”

“But it is about him, then?”

“Godric, you’re like a teenage girl!” You sat upright on the couch. “Why does everything have to be about Remus?”

“Because it always is with you since you two first saw each other again at the Weasley’s. Every time you’re mopey, it's about Mooney. Every time he’s mopey, it’s about you.”

“Sod off, Siri.”

“I’m right,” he scrunched his nose.

“Doesn’t mean I want to hear it.”

He rolled his eyes, sitting next to you on the couch for a moment.

“This about the kitchen incident?”

You scoff, looking at him wide-eyed. “You know about that?”

“Know about what?” he asked with a cheeky smirk.

You stared at him for a second, realizing that it meant Remus must be thinking about it too. Now that you didn’t mind all that much.

“Remus told you about that?”

“He might have mentioned it.”

“What did he say?” you asked, turning on the couch to face him.

“Now who’s being a teenage girl?”

“Shut up,” you roll your eyes. “Tell me.”

“Says you almost kissed after trying to get him to admit he liked you.”

“Did he… say anything about that?”

“About if he likes you?”

“More like why he’s pretending he doesn’t.”

He chuckled. “The age thing?”

“Yeah.”

“Told him it’s a bullshit excuse.”

You sighed. “And what did he say to that?”

“What do you think?”

You groaned. “He’s so difficult.”

“Tell me about it,” Sirius chuckled. “He’ll come around.”

“You sure about that? I practically told him I liked him and he… Well, clearly it didn’t go anywhere.”

“Maybe because you don’t like him,” he said, giving you a knowing look.

“What? Of course I do. Geez, I finally admit to you that I do and now you’re saying I don't.”

Sirius let out a dramatic breath. “No.”

“What the hell do you mean, no?”

“You loooove him,” he sang out, tossing an arm around your shoulders.

“Shut up, Sirius,” you whined. 

“Why? I’m right.”

“ Anyways ,” you said, leaning your head on his shoulder. “Are you busy tomorrow?”

“Why?”

“I think Dumpling misses having a big house to run around in. He keeps yelling at me,” you said, looking up at your cat as he perched on his tower in the window.

“The beast screams?”

“Stop calling him the beast.”

“He is one.”

“So are you,” you retorted.

He grumbled to himself. “Fine. You can bring him over.”

“You love him and you know it.”

“No I don’t,” he argued. “I just… he likes to keep me warm when I’m napping.”

You smiled, shaking your head. “If you ever want to babysit, feel free.”

“Maybe I will.”

Your relaxing day was soon interrupted, however, as a frantic knock was heard at your door. You looked confused, but stood nonetheless to get the door. You looked out the peephole, seeing Kingsley and Tonks on the other side. You pulled open the door.

“Hey, you two–”

“Is Sirius here?” Kingsley asked.

You nodded, looking over your shoulder as Sirius came over.

“Bloody cat. Every time we talk about him, I get called to go fight somewhere,” he smirked, kissing your cheek as he left with the other two, not another word to be said between them for him to know what was needed of him.

You watched as they apparated out of your apartment building. You went to Dumpling, grabbing him off his tower.

“Looks like you get to hang out at Uncle Siri’s a day early, baby boy.”

You sat, rather impatiently, at Grimmauld place while the Order members were gone. You usually didn’t have to do much in the way of healing after they went places, but you would hate to be needed and not be there if necessary. So, there you sat in front of the fireplace, Dumpling curled up next to you, purring like crazy.

“I get my own place for the two of us, and here you are preferring someone else’s house. Ungrateful,” you mutter to the cat, shaking your head softly as you pet him.

It was only a few minutes later when there was a noise at the front door, several members of the Order stumbling through. You shot up. This didn’t sound good.

“What’s the damage?” you asked, looking first at George as he leaned on Fred.

“I’ll be fine. Lupin’s the worst for wear,” George said.

“Everyone else is pretty minor stuff,” Fred supplied.

“Lupin?” you asked dumbly, feeling like a deer in the headlights.

You looked around as people filed in, clearly not having had a great time with whatever battle they were enthralled in. Finally you saw Remus stumbling in, hanging off of Sirius and Tonks, a red stain coming through his shirt.

“Shit,” you said, looking about the room frantically for a spot to put him.

“Love, go pull the blankets off of my bed. We’ll bring him upstairs for you to work your magic,” Sirius instructed.

You nodded quickly, your benchmark for the severity of the situation being emphasized by Sirius’s grave expression. You ran upstairs, pulling the blankets off of Sirius’s bed and dropping them on the ground. Sirius, Tonks, and Arthur Weasley brought Remus in, laying him on the bed. You immediately went to work, practically ripping off his shirt, and the undershirt he wore, wincing when you saw the wound on his stomach.

“What happened?” you asked Sirius as Tonks and Arthur shuffled back downstairs to help anyone else who needed it.

“I don’t know. Malfoy sent some horrific spell at him, and it tore right through him.”

You swallowed, nodding quickly as you wiped clean the blood around the wound. Remus groaned, clearly too out of it to even know what was really happening. Though, he seemed to gain lucidity fairly quickly as you uncorked the arcitasanen and poured a generous amount into the wound.

The thing about the nearly-painless property of the arcitasanen was that it was only painless for flesh wounds. This was a much deeper wound, evidently. 

He groaned loudly, trying to sit up out of shock.

“No, no, no,” you said, guiding him back onto the mattress. “Sirius, we’ll need a fresh shirt for him when I’m done here.”

Sirius nodded, immediately moving to his closet to get a fresh t-shirt. You poured more of the potion into the wound, healing up the rest of it as poor Remus winced and groaned again.

“I know… I know, I’m sorry. Almost done.”

“Okay,” he breathed out.

You saturated a cloth in the solution, dabbing around the wound to get the rest of the smaller cuts healed. You finally let out a breath you’d been holding in when you saw that all seemed well again. 

“Does anywhere else hurt?” you asked Remus.

“No,” he shook his head, breathing heavily. “No, that was the bad one.”

“Okay,” you breathed out, though you jumped when you heard some kind of crash downstairs. You turned, looking at Sirius. “What the hell was that?”

“I don’t know,” Sirius sighed. “Is everything okay here?”

“Yeah, I’ve got him,” you nodded, accepting the t-shirt from Sirius as he rushed downstairs to see what was going on. You turned back to Remus. “Uh… I’m… I’ll get you cleaned up and then you can put this on.”

You set the shirt down on the bed, then stood. You went to the nearest bathroom, dampening a washcloth in warm water. You went back to the room, and sat on the edge of the bed with the washcloth in hand. You wiped down his stomach, trying to ignore the way he moved under your hand every time you touched him.

“Okay,” you nodded, looking away so he could put the shirt on.

You heard some shuffling, a long sigh coming out of his mouth.

“Alright.”

“Are you okay?”

“As okay as I can be,” he chuckled softly. “Thank goodness you were here.”

“You did say you liked me taking care of you,” you replied softly with a small laugh.

“I suppose I brought it on myself, didn’t I?”

“You must have.”

He was silent for a moment. “I’m really glad you stopped coming on these missions. I don’t know what I would have done if it was you…”

“But it wasn’t. No sense worrying.”

“Right,” he nodded. “Right.”

“Now come here,” you tilted his face towards you, dabbing the potion onto a clean cotton cloth. You used it to heal the cut on his face. “There. All better.”

He smiled a tiny bit, looking over your face like he wanted to remember it. 

“Thank you,” he said, just above a whisper. “You’re a lifesaver, you know?”

“I’d hardly call it saving your life.”

“I would. If it were anyone else, I could have bled out,” he said, only half joking. “That potion of yours is keeping me from going to the hospital. Dittany could have only done so much.”

You stayed quiet, dropping your hand slightly, but not before he caught your wrist. He pulled the cloth from your hand, setting it on the bedside table as his lips brushed your knuckles gently.

“Thank you,” he said again, making eye contact so intense you swear he was reading your mind.

You merely nodded, this feeling eerily similar to when you were in the kitchen, nearly kissing. You just prayed there was no interruption this time.

His hand slid up your wrist, rubbing the inside of your palm with his thumb before he guided your hand to touch his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but this time you were determined not to waste time. You leaned in, simply touching his lips with your own to test the waters. He let out the sweetest, almost inaudible whimper before he pressed his lips hard against yours.

Your free hand went into his hair as he kissed you, a shuddering breath coming from you as the reality of the situation hit you hard. It was all desperation between the two of you as you poured everything you felt for one another into that kiss. You almost wanted to cry as you broke apart, desiring him on a level that felt chemical. 

You breathed each other in for a minute, simply holding one another. But then he had to speak and ruin everything. 

“We shouldn’t have done that,” he whispered against your lips. He chuckled ruefully, pulling away a little. “That—That was a mistake.”

You swallowed down the lump in your throat that threatened to choke you out. You took in a breath, still looking in his eyes. 

“I—I don’t think it’s a mistake,” you said breathlessly. “And I don’t think you really think that either. I mean, come on. You can’t seriously tell me you don’t feel… Whatever this is between us.”

“I do, I just—”

“Then what’s the problem?” you asked, feeling exasperated. “Remus, I…”

“Don’t say something you can’t take back,” he said quickly, cutting you off. “Please. You can’t do that.”

You paused, knowing it was now or never. You smiled a little, though it was a pained one. 

“I love you.”

He swallowed, brows knitting together as he looked away. His hands reached up, running over his face with a hard sigh coming from his lips. 

“Love, you can’t.” 

“But I do,” you said quietly, holding onto his hands. “Please. I do, and I can’t pretend like I don’t anymore. I love you.”

He let out a shaky breath, tears pricking his eyes as he leaned in again. He pressed his lips to yours softly, his hands detaching from yours to gently cradle your face. You melted into it, almost feeling relief before he pulled away. His face told you that relief would be short-lived. 

“You can’t. You can’t love me, you can’t be with me… You can’t keep looking at me like that.”

“Why not?”

“Because I am not, and never will be, right for you. You deserve to be happy. You’ll never be happy with me.”

“I’m always happy with you.”

“You’ll never be at peace with me,” he clarified. “I can’t give that to you. I can’t give you anything that you deserve.” 

“I don’t want that. I want you, no matter what that brings with it. I don’t care, Remus.”

“You should care. You have a life ahead of you.”

“So do you,” you argued, shaking your head in disbelief. “You act like you’re the only one who could die at any moment. We’re all in danger right now, but if we survive it, you still have a life ahead of you, too.”

“I’m not good enough for you.”

“Stop saying that,” you yelled suddenly, standing from the bed and taking a step back. “God, you have to make everything so difficult. Why don’t you just trust me when I say that you’re what I want? Stop trying to make me feel like I don’t know what I want. It’s mean.”

“I don’t mean to…”

“But you do,” you exclaimed again. “Every time I tell you or show you that I’ll love you no matter what, you try to find a way to push me away. You keep finding new ways to make me feel like I’m stupid and I’m not stupid, Remus. I’m not some naïve little girl who doesn’t know what she wants in life. I do. And if you’d stop being so fucking obsessed with making sure I know you’re broken, you’d let me love you.” 

He fell silent, trying to reach for you after a moment, but you pulled away. 

“I shouldn’t have said anything,” you scoffed to yourself, shaking your head. 

“Please,” Remus said, grabbing your wrist, hanging onto you desperately from his spot on the bed. 

You blinked back tears. “I can’t do this.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t convince you to love me. I can’t… I need you to want me. To want this, and clearly you don’t—”

“Of course I want this,” he said, his voice desperate. “I just— Not like this.”

“Oh,” you said, scoffing. “You want to talk about timing, yeah? Act like this is the wrong place or wrong time, as if there is such a thing.”

“You have to know this is a bad time. You have to know that.”

“You think there’s a bad time to try and hold onto some sliver of happiness when either of us could die at any moment?”

“Yes!” He snapped. “I don’t want to admit that I love you, because if you die, I won’t be able to keep going. I’ll be completely useless, and I don’t want to drag you into my mess before that happens.”

“I’m already involved in your ‘mess’, Remus. Don’t pretend like I’m not,” you said severely. “And if I do die, do you really want to let that happen without telling me? Without showing me?”

“You don’t understand.”

“Then make me understand!”

“I’ve lost too many people,” he said firmly. “The first time this happened, I lost everyone. Some of my best friends died. James and Lily… I thought Peter was dead, come to find out he’s the reason James died. Our best friend,” he said, a few tears falling. “The only other person I had I thought betrayed us all for twelve years. I was on my own for twelve years. Everyone I loved was gone. I can’t do that again. I can’t lose you, and I won’t if I never have you in the first place.” 

“Well, sorry to break it to you, but you already have me. I’m yours,” you said, tears in your eyes now. “If you didn’t want me to love you, we should have never spoken at the Weasley’s that first day I came back. We should have never talked together at Sirius’ place. We should have never spent so much time together at all. Because now, it’s too late. I’ve been yours long before I realized I was in love with you.” 

He stared at you, mouth wide open as he tried to process your words.

“Love…”

You shook your head, wiping tears that fell without your consent. “No.”

He reached out for you once again, but you stepped further back.

“I can’t convince you to love me.”

“I do.”

“Not enough,” you let out a shaky breath, turning on your heel and leaving him.

He sat, shocked and breathless. His eyes fluttered shut, his jaw clenched shut tightly. 

Sirius looked at you with wide eyes as you stormed past him with tears in your eyes as he reached the doorway of his bedroom. He turned his head just in time to see his best mate swiping the lamp off of his bedside table, shattering it against the wall.

“Fuck.”

[cinnamontoastcrunch-15]

More hippie Remus x scientist Sirius because I have an unhealthy attachment to them now.

Like genuinely they mean everything to me.

Masterpost here!

Sirius had decided that nothing was going to get in his way at work that day. He was just going to buckle down and finally get the results he needed to get. It wasn’t going all that well, causing him to curse at two of his employees and shout at his microscope to ‘fuck off and die’, earning him a concerned glance from James.

He was honestly reaching his last straw when someone walked up to him, phone in hand.

“Uh… sir?” They sounded nervous, seemingly gauging his reaction and whether or not he should run.

“Somebody better be dying!” Sirius shouted, shooting the person a glare.

“I- sorry, it’s just- someone on the phone.” They muttered quietly. “A… Remus Lupin? You know what, I’ll tell them to go-“

“No, wait.” Sirius grabbed the phone, holding it up to his ear. “Hey, darling.” Sirius’ tone almost immediately softened, tension in his shoulders releasing at the knowledge that he was on the other line. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I had a feeling that you were stressed, so I just wanted to check in.” Sirius smiled to himself, pressing his fingers against his mouth for a moment.

“Mhm, you could say I’m stressed.” He answered simply.

“I’m out at the moment, want to take a long lunch?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Great, I’m outside.” Remus said, and Sirius almost wanted to laugh, anger forgotten. Of course he knew, he always bloody knew. “See you in a few minutes? I can show you the crystals I got from Lily.”

“That sounds amazing, Moony. See you in a few. Love you.”

“Love you too.” With that, he hung up, standing up and walking over to his bag, he shrugged his lab coat off. He hadn’t realised that a silence had fallen over the lab, everyone watching him, confused. “If anyone touches my work while I’m gone, you’re dead.” He announced, turning and walking out.

[purriteen]

Ad victor spolia, chapter five

content warnings: incest, manipulation, eventual Stockholm Syndrome, toxic & dark!Coriolanus Snow (as if that isn't his default), named!reader, ANGST, eventual smut, non-con, age gap (5-6 years), somnophilia

author’s note: it's been like a month but have this double release I'm feeling generous (crappy proofreading/editing, be warned)

word count: 3,476

Previous chapter

Next chapter

Your head is throbbing from the hangover. You only vaguely recognise the room you're in, with the large Palladian windows and exquisite furniture you're pretty sure it's the master bedroom, and the arm that drapes over your torso as you realise your back is pressed against a warm, distinctly male body. 

You're startled at first, and when you turn around to find that it's Coriolanus, in a pair of pyjama pants and a loose sleeping shirt, you hardly feel any better about the situation. It takes you a minute to register that he's awake, blush spreading on your cheeks like wildfire when his eyes meet yours. 

You feel so exposed like this, groggy and hungover, in the now wrinkled black slip dress that offers you little coverage. You can't even remember taking your ballgown off in the first place. 

"Silia? You're finally awake. I was worried about you, after what happened last night," He sighs, running a hand through his hair. Without all that product in it, his curls have returned. He must've had time to shower sometime between your blackout and now.

Your brows furrow, anxiety building in your chest at his words. "What do you mean, after what happened last night..?" You inquire, although you're not sure you want to know. The whole scenario looks so incredibly wrong. But you decide to give him the benefit of the doubt - how likely is it really that anything would've happened?

Even if it weren't so immoral and disgusting, your brother being intimate with anyone is just unthinkable to you. At most, he'd probably have attended one of those decadent gentlemen's clubs, if he didn't have so much to lose, being the President and all. 

The thought appalls you - but it's not just the idea of him partaking in exploiting the less fortunate women in the Capitol, there's something more to it that you can't quite put your finger on. You push it aside for now; you have bigger, more urgent problems to deal with.

He appears deep in thought for a second, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat as he swallows thickly. "Coryo? What happened last night?" You repeat, this time with more urgency in your voice. You shift into a sitting position, your thoughts running wild with ideas of whatever awful thing could have landed you here, making it impossible for you to stay in that half-asleep state. 

He finally looks up at you, stretching out one of his hands to stroke your cheekbone. There's something about the look on his face that makes him seem pained, wounded.

"You got.. very intoxicated. One of my men found you in the corridor just outside the ballroom, with a low-ranking gamemaker. They caught him red-handed, trying to.. to take advantage of you." 

His words start to sink in, and a wave of nausea washes over you at the thought.

Someone had tried to force themselves onto you.

Someone who was likely a friend or at least a colleague of Remus. Who'd possibly even worked with your brother at one point, when he was a gamemaker intern.

"I'm so sorry, Hersilia, I shouldn't have let you get so drunk in the first place, I had your glass checked for any trace of drugs, of being laced with anything, but the lab couldn't find anything. I should've kept a closer eye on you, protected you from anyone who might even think of laying a hand on you.." His voice trembles, and you're surprised to see your brother so raw, so different from his usually so very controlled self. You hardly even recognise him, but you can't help but think that you should be used to it by now.

You find yourself in a tight embrace, feeling both unsettled by his strong arms wrapping around you like a vice, a snake, yet somehow safer. It takes you a minute to muster up the courage to speak.

"Did.. did he do anything?" You try not to let your fright show, but your voice comes out a hoarse whisper. He finally lets go, and shoots you a concerned, puzzled look. He takes a deep breath before talking again. "How much do you actually remember of what happened? You were barely conscious when they brought me to you."

You try and think it over. But the last thing you remember is sneaking off to the powder room to gossip with an old classmate of yours. Idesta Harrington. She'd been a childhood friend, although you hadn't stayed in touch since you seemed to run in different circles once you'd gone off to the Academy. 

Although a lot had changed, she was one of the few whom Coriolanus did not deem 'beneath the Snow name' or otherwise not suitable to be around you. You knew he'd been in the same grade as her older brother, nicknamed Pup, too. You couldn't for the life of you remember anything distinct about him.

"Everything after I went to the ladies room with Dessie is just.. gone. Blank. Don't remember any of it," You try to speak, but this time a sob gets caught in your throat, the shame and shock you felt threatening to spill over. 

Coriolanus takes note of this. He's relieved, but not particularly surprised that you believe him. It very well could have happened anyways - with how wasted and vulnerable you'd been. He'd have to figure out how to deal with the imaginary attacker later. 

Perhaps he'd have to choose from one of the actual gamemakers to banish to the districts, or he could take one of the few Capitol-born traitors currently awaiting punishment. He'd have to probe doctor Gaul for which member of the team she'd be least upset about losing. 

Whatever he needed to do to show you that he would always be the one to keep you safe, to reinforce what he already knew but had yet to get through your disgracefully thick skull. Truthfully, Coriolanus didn't know why he was so protective over you sometimes.

"You were discovered before he could do anything to really hurt you. I would've never forgiven myself if.." He trails off, letting you believe he struggled to even say it aloud. It worked as intended, and you practically throw yourself into his arms, gripping his shoulder tight. 

"It's not your fault, Coryo," You insist, sobs wracking through you as you hold onto him.

He didn't necessarily enjoy seeing you so frightened, so distressed, but he felt powerful like this. You had never once made him feel unsure or lesser than in the way Lucy Gray did. You were so much easier, safer to love. He relished the feeling. 

"I know, dove. But I was so worried," He sighs, petting your hair as your head rests on his shoulder, burrowing into his pale neck. You allow the almost overwhelming, but familiar scent of roses that followed him around to comfort you somewhat. 

"I didn't want you to sleep alone, I'm sorry, I just couldn't let you out of my sight. My conscience wouldn't let me," He kisses the top of your head, and you nod in understanding. 

You don't question even for a second that what he's saying is the truth. You hadn't seen him so distressed ever. Even when he sat you down and explained that he had enlisted all those years ago, or the prospect of selling the penthouse, he had been more so embarrassed and shut-off than distressed, like he was now.

You find yourself thinking that maybe you'd misjudged him. Maybe, he was just as damaged and conflicted as you, rather than evil through and through. Torn between his protective, caring instincts and the ruthlessness his career of choice demanded. You try to scour your emotions, looking for anything that stood out or suggested otherwise, but you find nothing tangible. 

Something about the situation still feels wrong, though. You just can't figure out what. You chalk it down to the shock of finding out about the danger you'd been rescued from last night. Everything he'd said made perfect sense in your head - he'd even respected you enough to leave your clothes on, instead of giving you the bath you truthfully needed by now. And why would he lie about such an awful thing? He wouldn’t go that far. 

As he cradled your trembling form in his arms, you knew that this, this was the Coriolanus you cherished and loved. The one who made you feel so safe and doted on and adored, even in the darkest of times. For the first time in many years he felt like the Coryo you remembered from your childhood again.

A couple weeks had passed since then. The two of you had grown closer, largely thanks to Coriolanus' unwillingness to let you leave his side. You couldn't blame him for that, though - he seemed perhaps even more traumatised by what happened that night than yourself. You couldn't bear the thought of worrying him even more, and since you didn't have much to do anyways, you complied. You figured the paranoia would fade sooner or later.

But he'd taken it a step further by insisting on assigning you security detail for whenever he wasn't around as well, even inside the house. You'd grown quite fond of the first one he assigned, Salomon, though you just called him Sal for short. He was around your brother’s age, short but stocky, with buzzed chestnut brown hair that appeared reddish in the sunlight. You knew because he'd always follow you around on the sunny afternoons you spent tending to the part of the garden Coriolanus had allowed you to make your own. You'd enjoyed listening to his anecdotes from 'back home', which in his case was district four. It was so unlike your life in the Capitol.

But one day, Salomon was gone, just as you'd started to really warm up to him. In his place was a tall, broad-shouldered man who appeared to be in his thirties, but his face was rough, hardened and his storm grey eyes, devoid of any pop of colour, looked as if he himself might as well have witnessed the chain of disastrous events that had led to North America becoming Panem. A cold, cut-throat military man. He was a man of few words, watching over you like a hawk and bringing an uncomfortable, prickly tension with his presence into your everyday life.

You attempted to bring it up with your brother over dinner. He'd coolly explained that it was for your own safety - Salomon had only been a placeholder until he had found someone better suited to keep you safe, someone he could fully entrust with your safety. Still, you'd pleaded your case of how you missed the company Sal provided, and Coriolanus promised you that he would find more time for you outside of work to make up for it personally.

He didn't seem to grasp the concept of you desiring a social life outside of him, which was beyond concerning, but for now you figured that was the best you would achieve. After months of feeling so confused and nothing short of isolated, you were much too exhausted to risk going back to that by confronting him. 

Although the both of you had warmed up to each other more as of late, he was still rigid in his decisions - Coriolanus always needed to have the last word. You tried to accept him as he was, and you even felt as though he might be letting up on his sometimes overly controlling tendencies on his own. Just a little bit, enough to give you a spark of hope.

However private Centho, as you'd come to find out he was called, even after a week, still brought malaise to your life every time you had to be alone with him. You couldn't bear it. Finally, you'd come to an agreement with your brother - inside the safety of the presidential palace, you would be allowed privacy. No more security detail. You figured the storm had blown over by now and that was that.

Yet, now that he could no longer station someone outside your bedroom door at night, the deal came with the condition that you would instead sleep in his every night. He had arranged for the staff to bring you a spare bed that was placed a couple feet away from his own. But somehow you always woke up to find yourself snuggled up to him every morning, without fail.

At first you told yourself it was just the winter chill. His bedroom was large and airy with massive windows, so you figured that made the most sense. But the snow had started to melt away bit by bit already, and regardless, you were provided with infinite warm pyjama sets and bedding. That was no excuse.

Perhaps it was the size and roughness of the mattress. It was of the highest quality you'd find in a folding bed, but it didn't compare to the comfort offered by the plush, extravagant bed you'd grown accustomed to. You wondered if you were starting to become spoiled.

The whole situation reminded you of a book you'd read when you were little, one of the many that you had been forced to burn in the fireplace to keep warm during the dark days. It was about a princess who'd been tested to see if she was noble enough to marry a lonely foreign prince, using a single pea that was placed under tens of mattresses stacked on top of each other. If she was worthy, she'd feel the pea when she laid down through all of those layers.

You'd imagined that one day, when your family was by some miracle no longer dirt poor, you might get to marry a 'prince' too. Of course, there was no such thing as royalty in Panem. That belonged in the old world. Here, you didn't need a title to be important - you needed money and influence. 

Finally, you'd had to come to the conclusion that in truth, it was his warmth, his embrace that you were after. He was often too busy for you in the daytime, and although you enjoyed getting to spend more time with Eugenie again, you wanted him. It was his company you were after. 

You'd missed out on so much when you were little - first, he was always studying, and then after he'd graduated the academy, he was all about both studying and building his career. You wanted to finally get a chance to bond with him, properly this time. The real him.

But once he brings you to the cell your supposed attacker is being held in, you begin to feel that perhaps, he's just as unpleasant if not more beneath the surface.

You vaguely recognise the man, although you can't quite put your finger on it.

Then it hits you like a bucket of ice falling over your head. Romulus. Romulus Dolittle, the youngest son of your former neighbours. He'd been your first friend, you first crush, your first and only kiss. Even if it had just been a quick peck.

Despite the glass wall separating you from the gaunt, bludgeoned prisoner you once called your friend, you can tell he knows exactly who you are, too.

"This, is Romulus Dolittle. You might remember him from the Corso, before his family moved away. Regardless," Coriolanus is clear-spoken and seems entirely unfazed at the sight of the bloody pulp right before your eyes, as if this was a daily occurrence for him.

You can feel bile rising in your throat at the thought that it very well could be - is your brother the one who did this to him? Had he personally made the poor man's life a living hell on the daily?

"You don't expect me to believe that he attacked me, do you?" You interrupt before you can even consider your words. Coriolanus' jaw ticks as he turns to look at you, and you feel as if you want to crawl out of your own skin.

He puts on a cold, thin-lipped smile. When he speaks again it's in an overly calm, smooth tone, as if explaining a complicated subject to a small, petulant child.

"If you had let me finish, you'd know that he is not here under suspicion of attacking you. He was involved in a rebel conspiracy." He explains, the disdain in his voice as he utters those last two words barely concealed.

Your fingernails dig into the skin of your palms as you resist the urge to claw your brother's eyes out. The hint of a self-satisfied smirk in his eyes tells you he knows just as well that the bloody pulp of a man was innocent.

"Why are you showing me this?" You manage to keep a steady tone, feigning nonchalance as best as possible. And although he plays along, you can tell Coriolanus is not buying it. He turns away from you again, facing the glass barrier separating you from the supposed traitor once more.

"Because, Hersilia. You must understand, that even those you trust the most, even your oldest friends, will betray you and everything that the Capitol stands for, if they believe it is in their best interest." He begins, and the urge to tear the flesh off of his smug face returns for a brief moment.

Then you watch as two peacekeepers enter the cell, dragging Romulus out in chains.

"Tomorrow, after he has been cleaned up, the very first public execution in the history of the Capitol will take place."

The whole encounter left you in a state of shock. Once you'd returned to the manor and finally calmed down a bit, your brother had played the recording of Romulus' confessing to the crime, although you could tell by how hoarse his voice that he'd been screaming before. It was likely brought on by torture at the hands of the peacekeepers guarding him.

You could tell Coriolanus was trying to twist the situation in his favour, as he always did. But this was all too much. You felt as if he was taking you on a sick rollercoaster that would only lead you into your impending death.

You knew you couldn't go on like this. You had to do something about it. But how?

Meanwhile, Coriolanus could feel you slipping away from him. He must've taken it too far, and above anything too soon, with showing you Romulus' fate. He thought he could take advantage of your inevitable breakdown to reinforce his status as being the one to comfort you and care for you no matter what, but it seemed that this time, he couldn't.

He did everything he could, against your will he held you as you cried until your eyes dried up, allowed you to wander about the house more freely, he had even given you permission to go into town without him again so long as you brought someone with you. And Centho was finally off your back no matter the unease he felt at being unable to watch over you through that man's observations.

He'd instead opted to give you a diary of sorts to write your thoughts down in, an elegant black leather book with a silver padlock and your name engraved in cursive. Hersilia Honoria Snow. He figured that if you were going to insist on shutting yourself off from him, you might instead turn to something else, and he would much rather see to it that he was in control of that variable rather than give you true freedom.

But, you refused to write anything, and the spare key he had neglected to tell you about only provided him with two hundred blank pages worth of insight.

You had stopped making small talk with him almost entirely. All you did was ask too many questions about Romulus, asking to see Tigris, trying to convince him to let you spend time with Persephone and Remus again. He had to remind you that Remus and his family was only spared from execution because of the scandal their deaths would otherwise cause, and that quickly shut you up. Coriolanus doubted the man would be keen on spending time with someone who falsely accused his little brother and got him killed regardless.

He on the other hand was pleased to have smashed two birds with one stone. No more cannibal friends, no more sleeping on your own and leaving him in the dark. But he needed you to trust him again. Everything had been going so well until now.

So he gave in. You would finally get to see your dear cousin again and get some well needed answers.

Well, you wouldn't get any of those, but you didn't need to know that. Yet.

taglist: @caffeine-addict-slug, @phoward89, @catesbaroquecasahouse, @priyajoyy, @euphemiaamillais @harvey-malfoy

[lord-starman-wotton]

my (incredibly messy) list of completed wolfstar fic recs (all on ao3, list to be continued!)

fair warning— i’ve had this list for a long time and i usually just used it for my close friends, so not all of these have descriptions/the author’s names. theres random links, random anecdotes, etc. anyways enjoy!!!

Blackpool Rock by lord_starman_wotton (i had to start out with the self-promo lolll)

presque vu by bizarrestars. i almost hesitate to add this because it’s legitimately devastating. do not read the last two chapters unless it’s the middle of the night and no one will hear your sobbing

text talk

the cadence of part time poets by motswolo (fair warning this is twice the length of war and peace i kid you not)

everlasting love finds a way (one shot)

a brief history of dragons

like real people do (READ IT ANFBSJDJD)

blossoms burn and fume, where our flowers bloom (MY FAV WOLFSTAR FIC LITERALLY EVER)

shorn and scarred and yours

the lab (adorable but there’s a six year age gap which makes me kind of uncomfortable?)

the adventures of captain sirius black and his most excellent dragon padfoot (pirate dragons)

tu es la lune (dead poets society au)

the blood moon sinks (not perfect writing but very cute)

the spy who loved him (adorable, by the same author as the pirate dragons)

the oldest recipe for parsnip soup

ullswater (they go to a music college)

that old black magic

for here you are, standing there, loving me (whether or not you should) (sirius adopts every single order child, sound of music au)

the hut of the mistold (fairytale au)

stealing harry 

bindings, bindings (jily and regulus come back from the dead and break sirius out of azkaban)

a cure for nightmares

with great power comes great responsibility (spider man)

across the hall (another cute text fic)

james potter, remus lupin, sirius black, peter pettigrew, and (pause for the breath) the prisoner of azkaban 

suite nothings: wolfstar edition (they’re college roommates)

wading in waist-high water (great british bake off)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/33021643 (prince of england/first son fic)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/20287849 (another text fic. v cute)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/36291976 (THE SECOND BEST FIC IVE EVER READ READ IT ASAPPPP) 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/47948368 (fake dating, remus and sirius are both single parents)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/34659874 (sirius is a ghost haunting rems flat. it’s SO cute)

ten reasons (to go to michigan)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/44271820 (figure skating fic. just read it, trust)

dear your holiness

lessen my load

you’re my kaleidoscope

happy birthday, you.

when it’s warm again

to all a good night (HOLY SHIT THIS ONES GOT SUCH GOOD SLOW BURN)

the player’s secret

take me as i am (sleep demon sirius. you’re in for a wild ride)

r.j.l reads a self help book

rourke

atyd sirius’s perspective 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/34146250

second generation by msalexwp

a bird at your door by moongnome

where there is smoke by moongnome

everything under the sun by moongnome

tis the damn season by moonymoment

labyrinth by moonymoment

starlit left, moonlit right

show me everything i’ve missed

do you believe in fate?

the road not taken

godlight by badhairred

string the sinner by his wings by ludo_ten

of memories and milk thievery by moonymoment (this made me cry i love it)

Archive of Our Ownhttps://archiveofourown.orgAs the Moon Knows the Stars - Chapter 1 - mcdynamite - Harry Potter

Be my time-bomb lover by flora_tyronelle

We'll Make It Out Alive by orphan_account

the boy from beauxbaxtons by haey1

Teeth. - amour_anguis, regularis_vas - Jurassic World Trilogy (Movies) [Archive of Our Own] (jurassic world au. the literary equivalent of pressing on a bruise. it’s so so so so good)

i’ll be home for christmas by msalexwp

dear mr black by msalexwp 

[dramioneasks]

Novel Length Fics (> 200,000 words) (Part 8)

Title: Unsinkable Author: Gingersoup  Rating: T Genre(s): Romance, Drama, Angst Chapters: 38 Word Count: 250,812 Summary: After a fight gone wrong in the Department of Mysteries, sworn enemies Draco and Hermione are thrown into a mysterious pensive-like portal and come out the other side onto the RMS Titanic. In a race against time and without their wands, the unlikely duo will have to fight against the binds of their new identities as well as their animosity toward each other in order to survive.

Title: Anchor and Rose. Author: sixth_senses Rating: E Genre(s): Romance, Drama, Angst Chapters: 38 Word Count: 200,220 Summary: "Is it really a good idea to run away from war with the person you despise the most?"A hotel, A boathouse, Narcissa Malfoy's safe-house, and the world's most powerful wand left behind by Regulus Black. What else could Hermione add to the list to make her absolutely insane?Ah yes, Draco fucking Malfoy.ALSO AVAILABLE ON MY WATTPAD (sixth_senses)

Title: selfxconclusion Author: spicyxpisces Rating: E Genre(s): Romance, Drama, Angst Chapters: 40 Word Count: 424,687 Summary: One year after the death of her husband, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger is trying to navigate her way through her loss. While trying to discover who she is without her husband, her friends move through their own forms of grief within their relationships.

Title: The Stars Above Us Author: embersofapril Rating: M Genre(s): Romance, Fluff, Angst Chapters: 40 Word Count: 200,988 Summary: He remains silent at first, clearly unsure of what to say next. The temperature feels hot, he thinks, especially for the dungeon's standards. He feels as if he can see the air particles between them, perhaps even count how many separate them from one another.It feels odd for him to be alone with Granger in the potions lab after all this time.He catches the faint scent of strawberries and honey, reminding him to order the ingredients for his lesson on Amortentia for his NEWT classes next week.-A slow-burn, flashback-filled dramione fanfiction with a side of wolfstar.

Title: A Game of High Stakes Author: in_dreams Rating: E Genre(s): Romance, Angst Chapters: 51 Word Count: 263,110 Summary: In theory, the task is simple: kill Draco Malfoy. In practice, putting a curse through the Dark Lord's favoured lieutenant will take everything Hermione has―especially since he's trying to kill her, too. Even more so when the lines between them start to blur. Sometimes, the only way out is through.

Title: Who We Are Now Author: LiloLilyAnn Rating: E Genre(s): Romance, Angst Chapters: 60 Word Count: 398,717 Summary: She lived through the war, but did she actually survive it? She didn't recognize the girl who looked back at her in the mirror, sunken eyes and protruding ribs, covered in scars. This wasn’t Hermione Granger. She died alongside Lavender, Fred, Sirius, Remus... Her name wasn’t up on any walls in memoriam, but she felt like a casualty nonetheless.*****When Hermione can't seem to get past the trauma of the war and all that happened to her, she's convinced to get help for her mental health issues. Unfortunately, the Wizarding World has none... yet.

Title: Redemption/Atonement Author: LordoftheManor Rating: E Genre(s): Romance, Angst, Drama Chapters: 75 Word Count: 448,946 Summary: Draco Malfoy has had a crush on Granger for years. When Blaise tells him he's heard Granger has a crush on him--Draco decides to seize the opportunity. The only problem is, Granger wants to keep things quiet. Oh and he's a Death Eater working for Lord Voldemort. Hermione Granger has been secretly pining after Draco for years, telling no one. When he suddenly confronts her after class her world turns upside down. This is a 7th year fic as if Dumbledore hadn’t been killed and Voldemort hadn’t taken over the ministry yet. Draco redemption arc. This will cover books 6 & 7.Really just an excuse to write smut about a curly haired witch and her platinum haired beau. There will be dark themes, I’ll try not to stray too far from the books with that though. Explicit sexual content.

Title: A Dangerous Collection Author: Lia_Redrose Rating: E Genre(s): Romance Chapters: 34 Word Count: 208,277 Summary: Eight years after Voldemort's defeat, Draco Malfoy has left England for good. He has become a potioneer and works in a Potion Shop in Florence. He thinks he has done with the past, until one day a famous girl with messy curls and curious eyes storms inside and asks for a cure.The words and the newborn smile died as the woman turned to face him. Her mouth opened and her facial features became confused and astonished. “Malfoy?” There were surely some deities - three at least - that hated him and conjured for that to happen, because there was no other explanation to what was happening to him. It was a catastrophe. A catastrophe Draco couldn’t escape unless he bolted out of the shop to never come back again, which was something he couldn’t do. That’s why he cleared his throat and proceeded to greet his customer with a simple and clear “Granger.”

Title: Redemption Author: gnrkrystle  Rating: M Genre(s): Romance, Drama Chapters: 45 Word Count: 237,960 Summary: As an Unspeakable, Hermione has been tasked with a very complicated case. All the Marked Death Eaters in Azkaban are falling ill - Draco Malfoy and Theo Nott the worst among them. She has to find out why and cure them.

Title: Finding Hermione Author: ebookdragon Rating: M Genre(s): Romance, Drama Chapters: 51 Word Count: 217,753 Summary: Fifteen years after the end of the Second Wizarding War, former Hogwarts' students are sending their own children off to school for the first time. As the train leaves, Hermione makes a startling discovery about her husband and the secret life he's been living. Draco witnesses Hermione's world shatter and comes to her rescue, helping her pick up the pieces and find herself again.

Title: The Education of a Lady Author: thewanderers'wanderingdaughter  Rating: M Genre(s): Drama, Horror Chapters: 34 Word Count: 365,605 Summary: Fourth and final (for real this time) part in the His Little Bird series. The story of survival, betrayal, and tragedy. A monster took everything from her. Now she's expected to be a willing participant in the world he's built for them. They want her to become one of them. She only wants vengeance, and now that she has her power back, she can make that a reality.

Title: Snow Angel Author: SunflowersXx Rating: M Genre(s): Romance, Drama Chapters: 31 Word Count: 353,142 Summary: ‘To burn with desire and keep quiet about it is the greatest punishment we can bring on ourselves’- Federico Garcia Lorca. Hermione hated secrets, she hated the idea that their lives were already decided in the stars; but mostly, she hated that she had to break Draco Malfoy’s heart.Draco didn’t think he would ever know what love felt like, he didn’t think he would find it in the sun, in whiskey and in that one curl. He certainly didn’t think he would loose it just as he had it in his grasp.

Title: The Hardest of Hearts Author: WillowingScribe1709 Rating: M Genre(s): Romance, Humour Chapters: 34 Word Count: 219,508 Summary: Hermione, driven to become Minister of Magic, reluctantly joins a matchmaking agency, only to discover Draco Malfoy as her top match.Initially scoffing at the idea of marrying her old nemesis, Hermione is forced to reconsider when their paths intertwine, unraveling not just their past but also new layers of deceit. Among these Draco's connection to the Seven Devils, a group wrapped in secrecy and rumoured to have been founded by his father, Lucius.What starts out as a simple match of convenience soon blossoms into a profound connection that catches Hermione completely off guard. With a menacing new threat casting a shadow over their future, their growing bond becomes the crux upon which destiny hinges.---------“It’s not that simple,” he said, and his eyes flashed with something dark that curled around her airways and choked the breath out of her. “Even if we never consummate our marriage, I need to know that I can touch you in public without you flinching. That you can touch me in return without looking green in the face.”“Of course I can,” she said with more bravado than she felt.“Is that so?” Malfoy asked, more darkness swirling in his eyes. “Care to demonstrate?”

[delimeful]

not always what they seem (5)

warnings: misunderstandings, remus-typical mentions of gore and cannibalism, swearing, arguing, lmk if i missed any!

-

Their captors were up to something.

Janus studied the far side of the room with narrowed eyes, ignoring the pulsing headache that had slowly been developing over the past few hours.

By all accounts, he should have woken one of the others up for a watch shift far before now. Instead, he’d seated himself behind them and watched the aliens unerringly.

A large part of his job required him to observe people. The way someone moved and gestured and reacted physically while conversing with others gave away more than most knew, and Janus was well-practiced in the art. He could read practically anyone like a book.

These creatures might have been from an entirely different library, so to speak, but he’d never let something like that stop him before.

Logan was the easiest, because he had the most to work with and his features were… not quite the most human, but certainly mammalian in nature.

Janus had met many a stray cat whilst lurking totally non-suspiciously in dark alleys, and he found himself appreciating the experience when he observed the way Logan’s ears flicked and flattened in response to certain conversations or actions.

Ever the instigator, Remus had provided his own contribution in the form of thoroughly disturbing the aliens. He’d likely made them think their specimens were damaged with his little shoulder stunt, and while Janus had been quick to point out the potential pitfalls of the behavior, he’d also taken careful note of the way Logan had reacted— their pupils had gone still and slitted, their ears nearly vanishing with how flat they’d gone, and their tail lashing behind them.

The whole mess had at least tapped a wellspring of useful information: Patton’s hands went still and their voice low, while Roman had begun to audibly buzz, rising up on their toes. Clear tells of concern and stress were worth his weight in gold in this sort of situation.

It was extremely tempting to let Remus do whatever he pleased just for the reactions, if it weren’t for the concerningly high odds that the behavior might get him slapped with a defective or diseased label. Janus didn’t have the same preoccupation with panic that Virgil did, but he was still very aware of the ways the situation could turn sour.

Janus wasn’t fond of feeling helpless, and in a situation like this, every glimpse of the aliens was accompanied by the looming knowledge that he was utterly outmatched on nearly every level. Resources, physical power, environment, presence— they held far too many of the cards.

Luckily, they didn’t know they’d picked up someone who was more than experienced at pulling cards from thin air.

He would scrape and gather every sliver of control he could get, and eventually it would be enough to get them out of here.

For now, however, it was vital that he bide his time and pay attention.

Thus, when piles of boxes began to accumulate across the lab and the aliens abandoned their prior workstations to begin setting something up behind a divider, he’d immediately started tracking their movements.

There was nothing overtly morose or angry in their movements, which was a relief in more ways than one. The way they were testing had shifted a few times, and the last thing Janus wanted was for them to decide humans were simply out of their expertise range and better off under a different lab’s scalpel.

Better the devil you know, after all.

Plus, Janus had already memorized a bunch of their tells, and would be incredibly annoyed to have to start fresh with a new gaggle of terrifying giant scientists.

Thankfully, there was no sign of that yet.

In fact, they seemed almost enthusiastic, chattering between themselves as they moved boxes from place to place, or opened one and pulled some strange apparatus out before moving out of sight again. Whatever they were making, it was exciting to them.

Of course, that could mean very bad news for the resident lab rats.

Janus was attempting not to let Virgil’s catastrophizing or Remus’s… imagination infect his plans, but he ended up watching for any sharp-edged implements anyhow.

It was only once they started cleaning up their mess, shuffling boxes and packing items away, that Janus finally reached over to wake up his companions.

“Rise and shine,” he said, opting for a wakeup call that was more obscure and hopefully, harder to translate.

None of the aliens seemed to be in easy hearing range, but better safe than sorry. He still wasn’t sure whether or not they were being recorded by default, after all.

Earlier, he’d tried using a variety of complex synonyms to teach Virgil what he’d learned of their language, only to receive an exhausted, dead-eyed stare.

“I write for a living, but even I can’t handle the ‘swallowed a thesaurus’ vibe you’re putting out right now,” he’d said, and Janus had reluctantly conceded.

Now, Virgil’s body reacted much quicker than his mind, which seemed to be a pattern with him. He jolted awake the second Janus tapped his shoulder, inhaling sharply before flailing away from them to land in a disoriented heap a couple feet away. He attempted to scramble even further back, head whipping from side to side like he expected to be jumped from every angle at any minute.

Janus held his hands up non aggressively, firmly planted in his spot, and watched as the fog of sleep slowly lifted from their youngest member’s eyes.

“A graceful riser, aren’t you?” he commented dryly.

“Shut up,” Virgil muttered, but the tension seeped out of his shoulders quickly enough that it was a little flattering. There was some trust there, after all. “What’s goin’ on? Did– Did nobody wake me for a shift?”

“It hasn’t been that long,” Janus lied smoothly, ignoring the little pinch of doubt in Virgil’s brow. “Our gracious hosts seem to have something planned.”

The distraction worked; Virgil immediately swiveled to glare across the room at where the giants were tidying up.

Still played out on the ground like a ragdoll, Remus cracked open an eye to stare up at Janus. He undeniably knew Janus was full of shit, but didn’t bother saying anything about it as he pushed himself from laying to standing in one move, yet another freakish display of flexibility.

“So,” he said, slinging one arm around Virgil’s shoulder and failing to sling the other around Janus, “what are we thinking? The alien version of a Hawaiian-style barbeque, or Saw-style torture chamber?”

Virgil elbowed him in the gut, but didn’t actually take the opportunity to wiggle out from under his arm. “Stop speaking forever.”

“Aw, but then how would I seduce the aliens? I know I’ve got a smokin’ hot bod, but sexiness is only skin-deep or whatever.” Remus perked up slightly. “Ooh, that’s an idea! What I actually need to show them is my gorgeous skeleton. That settles it, I’m voting Saw trap.”

With all the unfortunate timing of a bad sitcom, Patton approached, carrying one of those transparent cells they’d first awoken in. Virgil took a few steps back just seeing the thing, and Janus wondered what it was specifically about the item that upset him. Claustrophobia? Acrophobia? A simple hatred for the reminder of how very trapped they were?

Regardless, this was the sort of negotiation that he could handle.

“Hello,” Patton said, setting the cell down on the table near them. They said a few other things, too, none of which Janus caught, but the meaning was clear enough when they slid the lid to the cell off and held an expectant hand out.

“I don’t suppose you learned how to say ‘hell fucking no’ in alienspeak yet?” Virgil muttered, edging a little closer to Remus without even seeming to notice he was doing it.

“The next lesson, perhaps,” Janus shot back dryly, and then stepped forward but stopped short of actually climbing onto their hand.

“No cell,” he spoke carefully, pointing to the clear box and then shaking his head firmly.

He wanted to keep as much of their language secret as possible, yes, but there were some words that they definitely wanted the aliens to understand. First and foremost, the word ‘no’.

Patton hesitated, hands freezing in place in a way that Janus expected meant uncertainty, but Virgil clearly saw the stillness as a precursor to attack. Shaking himself free of Remus’s willowy form, he edged close to Janus with his eyes locked on Patton and a snarl that seemed mostly like a baring of teeth.

Janus was fairly sure that biting would have little to no effect on the alien’s craggy, tortoise-like skin, but it was the sentiment that counted, he supposed.

He didn’t react to his impromptu emo bodyguard, keeping his attention locked on Patton, and simply held his hands out, cupped and palm up.

After a moment, Patton reached a second hand over to mimic the posture, and Janus stepped close to it. “Virgil, if you’ll step forward and touch that first hand?”

“If I’ll what.” The glare was practically audible.

Janus sighed. “Work with me here? Unless you’d prefer the box. It would certainly mean less effort for me.”

A short beat of silence, and then Virgil reached forward and tentatively touched his fingertips to Patton’s hand. Janus nodded shortly and then beckoned at another one of Patton’s hands and held his hands out in demonstration again, hoping the intent would come through even with the difference in body language.

There was a pause as Patton looked over at where the other two giants were waiting, and then lowered a third hand into range.

“Remus,” Janus said, and glanced over his shoulder with barely hidden amusement. “Do I even need to ask?”

“You had me at hand stuff!” Remus responded brightly, skipping up to the upheld hand and hopping slightly to casually seat himself on it, like he was boosting himself up to sit on a counter or oversized stool.

Janus took a steadying breath as subtly as possible, and then climbed on himself. This was the first test of how much influence they had. It was better to know now rather than later, especially with an opportunity involving such low stakes.

“We’re really doing this, huh,” Virgil said, and scuffed his hands through his hair roughly with a groan before visibly steeling himself.

To Patton’s credit, he remained patiently still even as Virgil hauled himself into their hand at a snail's pace.

Once they were all settled, Patton lifted them up with all the due diligence they’d used with Janus previously, and glanced over at the cell.

“No,” they echoed the English thoughtfully, and then turned away from it, watching their reactions closely.

The way Virgil relaxed slightly, his expression evening out into something like relief, likely spoke for itself, but Janus nodded slowly in approval anyhow.

Hm. Perhaps their chances of getting out of this alive weren’t as dire as first assumed.

—

Patton turned around slowly, holding all three of their small, skittish guests with an astounded tint to his skin.

“Tell me the recorders were on,” he demanded, his free hands twitching visibly with the urge to fidget. “Tell me you guys saw that!”

His voice went a little too high-pitched, Logan’s ears flattening back slightly, but both he and Roman seemed just as delighted as him.

“We weren’t close enough to catch most of what they said, but the outcome speaks for itself, I think,” Logan said, watching Patton’s hands almost as intently as the Nilh was.

“I’m so jealous right now, you have no idea,” Roman announced. “How did you convince Purple to let you hold them?! They hissed at me!”

“I didn’t,” Patton replied, moving slowly and smoothly towards them. “Yellow did.”

The three of them looked at the tiny alien in question, who didn’t balk but grew the slightest bit tenser on Patton’s palm.

An experienced deceiver, Patton thought sadly, and couldn’t help but wonder just what their former specimens were actually feeling about the situation.

“There must be something that allowed Yellow to take a directive role in the group,” Logan mused, voice rumbling. “They have been leading the other two from the beginning, remember? They were picked up from entirely different locations, but from the beginning there has been a sense of cohesion between them all. It may be worth checking for hivemind organisms, parasitic or symbiotic.”

“I doubt it,” Roman replied. “I caught a hivemind bug in my youth, and the way they move just doesn’t have all the signs. They’re on the same branch, but they’re not interwoven pieces of bark, you know what I mean?”

“I suppose,” Logan said.

“Not really,” said Patton, who hadn’t grown up in a biome with populous tree life.

“Anyhow, if you two will scoot out of the way, I have a feeling that our test chambers will provide some solid evidence against the hivemind theory,” he added, still carefully monitoring his passengers for any sign of fear or unbalancing.

Once the path was clear, he moved forward and then paused at the entrance to the chambers.

They’d been designed with the specimen sect in mind: the entrance had grooves for the box to slide neatly into, at which point they could remotely open the door to the connecting hall and allow the specimens easy access to the space on their own time.

They weren’t dealing with specimens anymore, though, so this could be solved simply enough!

He set the three of them carefully on the stretch of table in front of the first chamber’s entrance, and manually slid the door open.

“Patton, is that… wise?” Roman asked tentatively.

“They seem to respond best to being given choices!” Patton replied. “... Maybe be ready to intervene if they head towards the edge of the table, though.”

—

“I am not doing another death maze. I’m drawing the line in the sand, man,” Virgil announced to the room at large, despite the fact that only half of the occupants could understand him. “The real line in the sand was like, one abduction ago, but I’m drawing a new, deeper line in the sand. Screw this.”

Remus rubbed his hands together in purposefully cartoonish glee. “Y’know, I could get used to this whole space lab rat thing if they keep throwing so much enrichment into my enclosure. I haven’t gotten to destroy the same thing twice in a row since they gave up on rebuilding the local billboard in my town.”

Virgil sighed. “…I don’t even wanna know, man.”

Janus, who had not had the privilege of entering the death maze so far and had no plans of changing that, turned on his heel and started walking the other way.

Only seven steps in, Patton’s hand drifted down to block him from heading any further in that direction.

“No,” the giant said, and gave a solid attempt at shaking their head. Another string of alien syllables, and a flat-handed gesture towards the open doorway.

The other two aliens hovered closeby. Janus considered for a long moment, mostly just to test a few more boundaries before acquiescing.

“Tell me you’re joking,” Virgil groaned, watching him turn around and walk back that way.

“I don’t want to set a precedent that it’s normal or tolerable to ignore a ‘no’.” Janus shrugged. “We can save that for when it’ll be more useful.”

“Useful like avoiding a literal electrified rat race, maybe?” Virgil snapped back, but when Janus showed no signs of stopping, he trudged after him. “Okay, sure, whatever. I’m not jumping in front of any spike traps for you. Your funeral.”

Virgil had already jumped in front of far scarier on Janus’ behalf, but he had enough sense not to say so aloud. Not yet, anyhow. It would make for invaluable teasing material later.

“Can’t spell funeral without fun!” Remus added in cheery anticipation, having waited by the doors expectantly.

He seemed to have understood the sort of boundary-testing Janus was going for quicker than most. It appeared he certainly was keener than his lackadaisical and outright deranged demeanor would imply.

Janus wasn’t typically the kind to take point, but he supposed he had led them into this mess. He was fairly sure at this point that there wasn’t anything intended to harm them inside anyhow. And if there was, well, he’d bluffed his way through worse odds before.

With the same false confidence that carried him everywhere, he led the way through the doors and down the narrow hall into the first room. To his surprise, the doors didn’t immediately slam shut behind them. The lights flickered on, revealing… a floor utterly swathed in fabrics?

“It looks like a laundromat threw up in here,” Virgil muttered, nudging at a pile of fabric warily.

Remus took a running start and cannonballed into one of the larger mounds, thrashing around in it for a moment before sitting up and scanning the room expectantly.

“No death traps here!” he announced to them after a solid ten seconds had passed. “Maybe it’s the alien version of a nice padded cell?”

“It would be a fairly poor cell,” Janus argued, motioning towards the clearly visible doorway on the other side of the room. “I imagine it’s a test of their own, though I can’t imagine what.”

Virgil paused. “Didn’t the big insect idiot take some of your clothes? Remus, don’t even start.”

Remus closed his mouth with a click, grinning.

“Yes, he seemed rather fascinated with it. Persistent, too,” Janus added, his tone distinctly non-complimentary.

The worn hoodie he’d been lent was surprisingly comfortable, but it didn’t change the fact that it didn’t exactly look professional. His appearance was something he preferred to manage himself, besides.

“I’d say maybe it’s a request for tiny clothes, but that’s stupid.” Virgil turned in a slow circle. “Plus there’s no actual sewing supplies.”

Janus glanced up, but the ceiling was opaque. However the aliens were monitoring them, it wasn’t through that.

“The far door is open. Let’s see if the next room can illuminate what precisely they want from us.”

—

“They didn’t pick any textiles!” Roman bemoaned as Patton tapped at his arm in a soothing pattern.

“I told you we shouldn’t have put it first,” Logan said with an ear flick.

“Give it more time,” Patton encouraged. “They’re probably going to go back and forth between rooms a fair few times. We’ll learn their preferences eventually!”

—

“I am never leaving this room. Ever.”

Virgil snorted, as though Janus was being facetious when he actually felt dangerously close to swearing an oath on the matter.

The next room was broken up into five smaller spaces, which turned out to be temperature-controlled.

Janus was currently in the warmest room, practically directly below the heating vent and he had no plans of exiting any time soon.

Remus, who had started sweating as soon as they got to the second warmest area, had already detoured to the coldest section and was currently exposing his pits— and by extension, his body odor— to the fans.

Janus wasn’t going in that section for love or money.

“Stop turning into a puddle,” Virgil demanded, kicking at one of Janus’s legs lightly. “You don’t even know how this thing is heated. We could be getting radiation poisoning right now.”

“Who needs warmth with a ray of sunshine like you in the group,” Janus asked, earning himself a glower. “You have no sympathy for the disabled. For shame.”

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Come on. I want to leave but I don’t want to get separated. That’s how they get you in every horror movie ever.”

Janus stretched out a little further, sighing as the heat sank into his bones. “Ahh, the horror.”

“Fine,” Virgil snapped, rising. “Don’t come crying when they start baking you like a pie.”

He stomped off with the energy of a twenty year old. Being an ancient five years older, Janus envied his spry nature.

He’d have to get up and keep moving after all. Just… in a moment or two…

—

They watched as two of the little aliens settled firmly on opposite ends of the climate choice area, with the third one storming off without settling in any particular one.

“…I rescind my hivemind theory.”

“Stars above,” Roman made a low buzzing groan. “This is going to make temperature control so unnecessarily difficult.”

“We’re certainly going to have to get creative,” Patton agreed, unable to conceal his amusement. “Two choices in and we’ve already got trouble on our hands, literally.”

He waved a few hands around to his teammates’ shared exasperation.

“A species with such variance in three samples alone… It’s going to be explosive when we share this footage.” Roman mused. “Nobody’s going to know what hit them.”

Looking down at their tiny guests, Patton couldn’t help but agree.

[moutainrusing]

It was always gonna be moonchaser, can’t pass up an opportunity for u to write ur OTP :)

There will be more but for now- cause i’ve been dying for this fic since my ao3 comments section- FLEAMONT teaching James how to make Wolfsbane for Remus (and then maybeeeee James giving it to Remus plsssss 🥹)

And if it wasn’t obvioussss 🍬 (don’t give me angst I can’t take itttt)

Ever since James was a kid, he could remember the cacophony of aromas in his Pa’s potions lab. They always overwhelmed him, and for that reason, when he began Potions lessons, he didn’t actually like it. He was proficient enough, but it wasn’t his favourite. He could tell it was the same for Remus, in the way that Remus wrinkled his nose and grimaced at everything, stepped back from the cauldron and let his partner do all the work while his own gaze meandered to the doorway, where it lingered longingly.

When the Marauders realised Remus was a werewolf, it made sense why Remus hated Potions, and James always found himself watching Remus watch the exit, a pang in his chest, ricocheting away from him and towards Remus, back to him, towards Remus, a sonorous tugging. He began partnering with Remus in order to let Remus lay off, instead of glaring at him disdainfully the way other partners would.

Even though James hated Potions, it felt good to be helping Remus. If he was doing something for Remus, whatever it was, he found himself loving it automatically.

- - -

It was lucky his Pa specialised in potions. When Wolfsbane came out, brand new, not even available to the public yet, Fleamont had his hands on it and confirmed, “Yes, it’s safe. Relatively easy to brew, for me at least; I am a revolutionary Potioneer…”

After Fleamont’s long declaration of his extensive skills (arrogance may run in the Potter family), James asked, “Can you… well, my friend is a werewolf, so…”

Fleamont stared at him. “I know. Why else would I start talking to you about Wolfsbane, you pillock?”

James scowled, trying to reel in his amusement because that was not funny. He asked, “Can we make it for them? How long does it take to brew? We need to make a large stock of it, they’ll need it for every full moon, and we need to keep stocking up because there are a lot of full moons to come in the next century, and Pa, can we hurry up and make it now?!” James waved his hands impatiently, pushing Fleamont into the lab.

Fleamont laughed, “Yes, of course. Anything for your Remus,” he smirked, eyes glinting mischievously.

James gaped at him, then spluttered, “What? I— Get to work! And keep the fact that he’s a werewolf a secret, because even though it doesn’t matter, for some reason, that’s the first thing people see about him. There’s so much to him, do you know how brave he is? He’s ten times braver than all the Potters combined, and I thought we were about bravery, but then there’s Remus! Every full moon he picks himself up and lives his life, and he’s really stubborn, he definitely belongs in our family; he determinedly ignores me telling him to rest and faces all his classes, all the people. He goes through so much, and through all of it, he’s the kindest person I know! He’s never angry, he has every right to be, but he never takes excuses, he’s real and upfront and—”

Fleamont clanged a cauldron atop the table in front of them and raised an eyebrow. “Shall we begin?”

“Yes!” James nodded vigorously.

- - -

“Pass me seventeen leaves of wolfsbane,” Fleamont instructed, holding out an expectant hand as he stared into the pits of the cauldron. James scrambled around for the ingredient, meticulously counting exactly seventeen, plucking them from the plant with care he didn’t know he possessed, gently placing them in Fleamont’s hand.

“Thank you, jaanu. Crush two mandrake leaves to extract their juice.”

James scrupulously squeezed the leaves until they were wrung dry, drained every drop of juice into the cauldron, watched how the wolfbane swirled and dissolved within it, a green, marshy concoction. He wrinkled his nose at the odour, but then he thought about Remus, and he decided he liked the natural, leafy smell.

It was the scent clinging to Remus’s sweaters after trekking through the Forbidden Forest, russet brown twigs decorating that unruly caramel-coloured hair, mud smeared over freckled cheeks, smudged beside little scars across his chin, embedded under nails and in the ridges of large, rugged hands. It was warm, earthy, old, sweaty, tangled in Remus’s arms and nose buried in Remus’s neck. In fact, James could breathe in this smell for days. He wanted to be overwhelmed by it.

- - -

“Acha kaam kiya!” Fleamont grinned, throwing his wand into the air in triumph. “Shabash, beta!”

James reflected the grin, squinting slightly. He had no clue what had just been said (it was times like this when he wished his parents had taught him Hindi), but he got the gist of it. ‘We did it! Well done! We should love ourselves, kiddo!’ or something like that.

The potion shimmering in the cauldron rose from the surface like a warm blue wave in an icy blue breeze, rolling off into clouds of blue smoke which filled the air around them.

It smelled disgusting. James opened his mouth, the tang on his tongue, but Fleamont interrupted, “Adding sugar renders it useless.”

James frowned. “But Remus needs sweet things!”

Fleamont shrugged, “Give him a kiss after he drinks it.”

James stammered incoherently.

- - -

“James! This is too much,” Remus protested, shaking his head. “Wolfsbane is expensive and time-consuming, I won’t accept you doing this for me.”

“Remus, Moony, Remmy Rem,” James started placatingly, “My family has more money than we’ll ever need, and I want to spend all my time on you. You can’t stop me, so just accept it.”

Remus faltered. “You’re delusional.”

James widened his eyes in exasperation, Do you hear yourself? He tipped his head back, breathed deeply, and returned to the conversation yelling, “PAPA!”

“Yeah?” Fleamont poked his head into the room.

James pointed at Remus accusingly. “Remus won’t take the potion.”

Fleamont gave Remus a crestfallen expression, which had Remus looking a mixture of guilty and annoyed all at once. James almost felt bad, except it was too funny to feel bad about.

“Remus, beta, you’ve got to let us make the potion for you. I never realised how much I missed the routine of Potioneering until I got the chance to fall in love with it again! Brewing Wolfsbane is just like brewing hair potions!” Fleamont squealed, delving into a lecture about the complex intricacies of potions and the way they tied into each other.

Remus bit his lip as he listened, nodding along as the heat in his eyes softened to a warm, honey brown. “I— well, if you like brewing that much… are you sure, Mr. Potter?

“Remus,” Fleamont grabbed him by the shoulders and peered intently into his eyes. “I have never been more sure about anything in my life.” Casually, he released a still frozen-in-shock Remus, “And call me Monty. I would say call me Pa, but James might find that a little—”

“Okay!” James clapped his hands. “Thank you, Pa,” he pushed him pointedly out of the room.

“Thank you, Monty,” Remus called after him, before glancing at James questioningly.

James ran a hand through his hair, “So… Wolfsbane might taste really gross…”

“I don’t care. All I care about is how you made it for me,” Remus smiled.

James stared at that smile for a very long time. His gaze flicked to Remus’s eyes, and with a slightly raspy voice, he whispered, “I… could make it sweeter.”

“Yeah?” Remus prompted with a raised eyebrow, stepping closer to James.

“Yeah,” James echoed softly, head tilted to meet Remus’s, and they were breathing, breathing, and James could feel it over his skin, warm and earthy, the scent of trees and outdoors, books and indoors.

“Thank you,” Remus murmured, before their lips touched.

It was the most overwhelming whirlwind of smells and emotions James had felt, simply from that delicate brush of lips, but he wanted to be overwhelmed by it, more and more and more. He wrapped his arms around Remus’s neck and pulled him into his mouth, nose pressed into Remus’s cheek because James could breathe him in for days.

[brandileigh2003]

Wolfstar fics I've reread:

My other list of recs was getting long so I thought I would start up another

~~~please give these authors love, fandom engagement with writers is down and it means more than you know. ~~~

Non-magical:

-my jokes are my armour, my kindness is my sword by littleoldrachel: trans remus with disabilities. So good

-Wish You Were Here by afieryfox meet as online gamers

-Countermoves by athenowl: Hunger games no mcd

-Something Just Like This by shadow_prince fake dating

-Aging Gracelessly by orphan_account: older wolfstar texting fic

-Stray Dogs by MsAlexWP: strangers to lovers kidfic

-The Lab by de_sire: mutual pining

-i Didn't Come Here to Party, I Only Came for the Cake by attheendoftheday: gbbo fic

-Suite Nothings: Wolfstar Edition by femme_de_lettres: university get together

-my love, take care of yourself by littleoldrachel: raising teddy get together

-Of Bookshelves and Baby Carriers by poppunkpadfoot: cute bookshop au

-The Boys of Summer by todaslasmadrugadas: summer get together

-Liebestraum by lunchbucket: get back together, classical musicians

-Too Little Too Late By swings_and_roundabouts

-Under the Eucalyptus [+Podfic] by xinasvoice: sweet get together fic set at the zoo

-Au Pif by sreka, YumeNouveau: bakery au

-Signs of Affection by KittyCargo: deaf remus

-Love by the Seaside by viwrites: falling in love

-Within White Space and A Series of Sketches Done in Black Ink by mustntgetmy

-sway through the crowd (to our empty space) by littleoldrachel

-Babysitting For Dummies by Middleofamoment (37k) au raising teddy get together (theres a sequel and 3rd to come)

-Of Memories and Milk Thievery by moonymoment: older divorced wolfstar, get back together

-The Spy Who Loved Him by OptimisticDinosaur, weightyghosts spy au friends to lovers

-Six Feet Apart by Belle_Lestrange101: pandemic fic, remus is high risk

-Let Them Eat Cake by OpeningMyEyes: another baking fic

-taste of honey by biremus: British bake off fic, each other's competition but ofc fall in love

•text talk by merliwhirls: great banter and flirting firming a solid connection through text before they meet in person

•A Brief History of Dragons by eyra nuerodivergent remus

•Saccharine by moonymoment Sirius is a ghost in remus' apartment

-Berlin Angel by de_sire: Remus helps him really begin to live, asks the deep questions help him discover who he is. Sirius helps remus open up as well, sees his layers, thinks remus is Sirius' own sun

Magical:

-Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations by TheQueerTailor: fantastic look at disability caused by lycanthropy

-used my best colours for your portrait by littleoldrachel: lie low at Lupin's with flashbacks exploring remus' life

-By Any Other Name by Under_the_Willow meet in bookstore

-Light in August by orestesfasting: summer at the Lupins

-Common Woodbrown by imochan: goes through remus childhood and war divergent

-Into the Fire by wilteddaisy (taotu) triward tournament

-A Duet by mustntgetmy: mcd war divergent

-no closer to heaven series by everythingintransit

-The Other Side of Sorrow by TheHufflebean Hogwarts divergent, Snape dies in prank

-shorn and scarred and yours by lynxindisguise: Slytherin sirius, Hogwarts divergent

-Motion Sickness by oscarwildechilde: summer post prank. Lily and remus friendship

-The Horcrux Hunt by Keysie 1st war divergent main focus remus and Regulus friendship and working together. Funny and angsty.

-Boys Will Be Bugs by the_Infamous_Jack: Hogwarts era with trans remus

–that’s the art of getting by by sarewolf Remus raises Harry then Sirius lays low with them

-just lovers by bizarrestars: divergent fic, fake dating (wolfstar isn't main but they're heavily featured)

•Running with Wolves by @a-fiery-fox urban fantasy

**some wip recs: more here

-we grew up in spite of it by peachyybabe: remus has twin, starting Hogwarts together, there will be mcd

-Tic Tic Boom by Fictionboysarebetter: remus with tourettes Hogwarts fic

-Give Me A Sign by TherestheSnitch soulmate fic with deaf remus

-Underneath It All by Kaymardsa texting fic

++my to reread list

**A few others with jegulus main, but this girl needs lots of wolfstar so no worries lol

-you signed up for this by solmussa: summer fic, lots of queer ships

-only the brave: Hogwarts into war divergent

-Young Blood by viwrites: road trip

**Also- I haven't re-read it yet since I read as it updated, I am soon, and scenes live rent free lol. -Kill Your Darlings by MesserMoon: hockey fic, mainly jegulus but *lots* of wolfstar. Deaf Remus.

Of course feel free to check out my works