Ficlet: Inconvenient for escribo
Jan. 5th, 2014 10:08 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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small_giftsTitle: Inconvenient
Author/Artist:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
magnetic_pole
Recipient:escribo
Rating: PG
Contents or warnings (highlight to view): *Angst*
Word count: 200 x 2 (two double drabbles)
Summary: Remus is lying. Sirius is angry. Something's about to explode.
Notes: Written in response toescribo’s prompt, which is noted at the end of the ficlet; one of series of thank you ficlets for our pinch hit team. Thank you for your help, escribo! Hope you enjoy this ficlet, despite the serious turn it took.
***
When Sirius got home, Remus was in the kitchen hunched over a pot of spaghetti, stirring it with his wand, humming to himself. He was still wearing the new robes he’d grabbed that morning on his way out the door, the liar.
Eight years, and Sirius didn’t know him at all.
Sirius watched him for a full minute before speaking. “Good idea, to christen the kitchen with an explosion.”
Remus jumped. The spaghetti sloshed. “Sirius!”
“Hardly proper wand etiquette. Are you trying to cause damage?”
Remus smiled, ignoring the edge in Sirius’ voice. “You really shouldn’t surprise me like that.”
Sirius crossed his arms. “I thought you liked surprises.”
“Sorry?” The smile faded.
“I stopped by Ollivanders at lunch today,” Sirius said. “Surprise!”
“Oh!” Remus licked his lips. “Nice window display, hm? Sorry I missed you. I must’ve been working in the back--”
Sirius snorted.
“--room.”
“Moony, Ollivander said he didn’t know you.”
“Oh.”
“Well?”
“He might have been confused--”
“About who he hired?”
“He’s old, he doesn’t always--”
Sirius clenched his hands into flists. “Don’t lie to me, Moony!”
“Well, don’t spy on me!” Remus pushed past him. A moment later, the bedroom door slammed.
***
Sirius ate the spaghetti on his own. Hunger sated, he was less angry.
Remus was buried under the covers. The bed sagged as Sirius sat down.
“Did you work there at all?” Sirius asked.
“A few days.”
Sirius pulled the bedclothes back. Moony’s face was still splotchy. “Until?”
Moony wouldn’t look him in the eye. “Until someone said something. In the shop. About...you know.”
“Had you told him?”
“I said I’d need time off every month. He seemed to understand. But then later he said it wouldn’t work.”
“It’s not illegal for you to work.” Sirius clenched the bedclothes.
“It's inconvenient, he said.”
“He can’t do that. We could register a complaint--”
“No!” Remus said. “It’s fine. He paid me through the end of the month.”
“Bigot.”
“It’s okay. He has a shop to run.”
“No, it’s not.” But that was for Remus to say, not him.
***
“I’m sorry,” Remus whispered later. “I should have said.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m so close: my own place, a job, you. I’ve just got to work on the job a bit harder. I’ll find something.”
Close to what? Sirius wondered, but he squeezed Remus’ hand and didn’t say it out loud.
***
Written in response toescribo’s prompt: During the first war: Remus faces discrimination for the first time (job, housing, within the Order...) and Sirius deals with the aftermath
Author/Artist:
magnetic_poleRecipient:
escriboRating: PG
Contents or warnings (highlight to view): *Angst*
Word count: 200 x 2 (two double drabbles)
Summary: Remus is lying. Sirius is angry. Something's about to explode.
Notes: Written in response to
escribo’s prompt, which is noted at the end of the ficlet; one of series of thank you ficlets for our pinch hit team. Thank you for your help, escribo! Hope you enjoy this ficlet, despite the serious turn it took.When Sirius got home, Remus was in the kitchen hunched over a pot of spaghetti, stirring it with his wand, humming to himself. He was still wearing the new robes he’d grabbed that morning on his way out the door, the liar.
Eight years, and Sirius didn’t know him at all.
Sirius watched him for a full minute before speaking. “Good idea, to christen the kitchen with an explosion.”
Remus jumped. The spaghetti sloshed. “Sirius!”
“Hardly proper wand etiquette. Are you trying to cause damage?”
Remus smiled, ignoring the edge in Sirius’ voice. “You really shouldn’t surprise me like that.”
Sirius crossed his arms. “I thought you liked surprises.”
“Sorry?” The smile faded.
“I stopped by Ollivanders at lunch today,” Sirius said. “Surprise!”
“Oh!” Remus licked his lips. “Nice window display, hm? Sorry I missed you. I must’ve been working in the back--”
Sirius snorted.
“--room.”
“Moony, Ollivander said he didn’t know you.”
“Oh.”
“Well?”
“He might have been confused--”
“About who he hired?”
“He’s old, he doesn’t always--”
Sirius clenched his hands into flists. “Don’t lie to me, Moony!”
“Well, don’t spy on me!” Remus pushed past him. A moment later, the bedroom door slammed.
Sirius ate the spaghetti on his own. Hunger sated, he was less angry.
Remus was buried under the covers. The bed sagged as Sirius sat down.
“Did you work there at all?” Sirius asked.
“A few days.”
Sirius pulled the bedclothes back. Moony’s face was still splotchy. “Until?”
Moony wouldn’t look him in the eye. “Until someone said something. In the shop. About...you know.”
“Had you told him?”
“I said I’d need time off every month. He seemed to understand. But then later he said it wouldn’t work.”
“It’s not illegal for you to work.” Sirius clenched the bedclothes.
“It's inconvenient, he said.”
“He can’t do that. We could register a complaint--”
“No!” Remus said. “It’s fine. He paid me through the end of the month.”
“Bigot.”
“It’s okay. He has a shop to run.”
“No, it’s not.” But that was for Remus to say, not him.
“I’m sorry,” Remus whispered later. “I should have said.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m so close: my own place, a job, you. I’ve just got to work on the job a bit harder. I’ll find something.”
Close to what? Sirius wondered, but he squeezed Remus’ hand and didn’t say it out loud.
Written in response to
escribo’s prompt: During the first war: Remus faces discrimination for the first time (job, housing, within the Order...) and Sirius deals with the aftermath
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2014-01-06 04:39 pm (UTC)I’m so close: my own place, a job, you. I’ve just got to work on the job a bit harder. I’ll find something.”
Close to what? Sirius wondered, but he squeezed Remus’ hand and didn’t say it out loud.
Aaaa...truly amazing...
no subject
Date: 2014-01-06 06:41 pm (UTC)Lovely work. Really lovely work.
no subject
Date: 2014-01-07 02:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-07 02:58 pm (UTC)Gorgeous work!
no subject
Date: 2014-01-08 04:24 am (UTC)This bit killed me a little inside: “I’m sorry,” Remus whispered later. “I should have said.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m so close: my own place, a job, you. I’ve just got to work on the job a bit harder. I’ll find something.”
Close to what? Sirius wondered, but he squeezed Remus’ hand and didn’t say it out loud.
There was something about that exchange that very much encapsulates all the trials and tribulations that these two face, no matter how subtle. It's not so much about actually being a werewolf, as it is enduring the public opinion of what a werewolf is suspected of being. It's about oppression and discrimination and objectivity, but, in a way, it is hard on Sirius, too. Sometimes having privilege is a sort of deficit and I think that Sirius feels that strongly. He wants to understand - and in a huge way he does - but he'd also aware that, as a wizard if privilege, he cannot understand completely. And yet he tries.
So sad and lovely and true to life.
no subject
Date: 2014-01-09 01:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-11 04:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-16 12:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-02-14 09:34 pm (UTC)That line made my heart hurt for Remus!So much feeling in that!Amazing work with the way you showed how the war affected them too,the subtle changes and shifts in attitude and thinking.Loved it!