Fic: Mapping Montrose for Musingsofmaura
Jan. 6th, 2019 07:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mindabbles posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
small_giftsTitle:Mapping Montrose
Author/Artist:mindabbles
Recipient:musingsofmaura
Rating: R
Contents or warnings (highlight to view): *light sexual content, mentions of how very much Remus likes Padfoot’s collar*
Word count: 6,700
Summary: If they could map Hogwarts, then perhaps they could map other places too — that’s Dumbledore’s plan. James has a plan. Sirius has a plan of his own. Peter, it turns out, doesn’t have plan, but manages to get in the way of other plans. Remus, perhaps, has the best plan of all.
Notes: Maura, I hope that you enjoy this! Thank you and many holiday goodies toliseuse for the beta.
“I think that you lot are just the people to bring a rather brilliant idea I’ve had to life,” Dumbledore said, looking down his impressively crooked nose. Sirius tried not to look directly into his piercing blue eyes — he always had the sense that Dumbledore could see more than he might want the old man to see. “Our cause would be greatly aided by a map.”
“Map?” James said. His voice rose unnaturally high and the intense look of curiosity he was feigning made him look a bit unhinged. If Dumbledore was bringing it up, he knew about the map and he knew who wrote it. Sirius couldn’t imagine what James was worried about — it wasn’t as if he could give them detention.
“Yes, based on that rather remarkable map, possession of which I believe Mr. Filch regrettably relieved you.” A grin played about one corner of Dumbledore’s mouth and Sirius was reminded of the impression he’s had since he met the man that he enjoys mischief every bit as much as the four of them do. “It was a pretty impressive bit of magic.”
Remus was contemplating his shoe laces as if he expected them to do something surprising. He cleared his throat. Peter seemed to be trying to disappear behind a potted fern. Remus never wanted to disappoint Dumbledore, and Peter never wanted to be the one noticed by anyone apart from James. But Sirius couldn’t understand James’ apparent loss of his spine, until he noticed Lily glaring at him. James hated for her to be reminded of his less responsible days. Although, knowing Lily, she was more likely naffed off that there was a bit of cool charms work she didn’t know how to do.
Given that everyone else seemed to have lost their ability to speak, Sirius decide to take one for the team. “A map that can tell us Death Eaters’ whereabouts?”
“That’s the general idea, yes,” said Dumbledore. “It should be possible. The noble profession of cartography is, after all, the graphic representation of one interpretation of reality. Yes. That sounds like just the ticket. I’d like you, including Miss Evans, to travel to Montrose. It’s a large enough town that it will require you to expand the scope of the map, with a contained enough magical section that you will have reasonable boundaries, and there have been some signs of Death Eater activity in the Muggle parts of the town. A perfect balance, I’d say.”
It struck Sirius that a large town with Muggles and wizards and witches, and Death Eater activities, in the dead of winter sounded like anything but the perfect balance.
“Sir,” said Remus. “If there’s current Death Eater activity now, won’t it be difficult to work on the map without being detected?”
“Excellent point, Mr Lupin,” said Dumbledore, which didn’t really seem like an answer. “You can find lodging at The Tilted Hat. The proprietor is a Mr Hauser. He owes me a favour.”
The twinkle in Dumbledore’s eye made Sirius wonder just what sort of favour he was owed.
**********
They Apparated a short walk from the edge of town. Sirius could smell the sea. The air was chilly, but not too cold, with a dampness in the wind that Sirius could tell would be bitter if it were any colder. Steel-grey clouds hung low, making the sky seem so close he could touch it. He could see that the place must be nice enough in the summer, but it was harsh and bleak now.
“It’s beautiful here, isn’t it?” Remus asked. A smile played about his lips that made him look much younger, and more carefree, than he did of late. “It’s going to turn cold,” said Remus, cocking his head like a real wolf listening for the crack of a twig under a deer’s hoof.
James and Lily and Peter had arrived a few minutes before them, and were almost to the edge of town, leaving Sirius to walk with Remus. Sirius stole a glance at Remus. He was scanning the horizon, his warm brown eyes alight with curiosity. Remus loved to travel. He loved restaurants and pubs and inns. He found something to enjoy in any new place and Sirius loved watching him enjoy it.
It was bleak, but it wasn’t particularly cold. If anything, it seemed warm for this time of year. “Why do you say that?” Sirius asked.
“The pink-foot geese,” said Remus.
“Have you been drinking?”
“Daft,” said Remus, laughing and shaking his head, which didn’t answer Sirius’ question at all. “Come on,” Remus said. He turned back to look at Sirius as he started to jog. The wind blew his hair around his face, his expression bright with anticipation. Sirius had the image of him as a boy on holiday and was hit with a wave of fondness. “We’re almost there.”
Remus broke into a run and Sirius sprinted to catch him up. The ground was soft and a little sandy. Ahead, Sirius saw the town coming into clear view. Sirius could hear an odd sound coming to him on the breeze — a melancholy sound.
Remus stopped suddenly and Sirius almost ran into the back of him. Sirius drew his wand.
“What?”
A mudflat stretched out before them, covered in large white and grey birds. Their haunting call became almost deafening as Remus and Sirius reached the edge of the mudflat.
“There’s thousands of them,” said Sirius.
“Pink-foot geese,” Remus said. “They come when the weather turns.”
Sirius stared at Remus in amazement. “How do you know that?”
He followed Remus’ gaze. Remus’ eyes were hungrily taking in a wide, sandy beach and a deserted promenade in the distance. Sirius could just see the top of a Ferris wheel beyond the dunes.
“My grandparents used to bring me here on holiday when I was a kid,” Remus said. “Let’s go around.” He gestured to a path that would take them over low hills to get to town, leaving the geese to their shuffling and calling to one another. As Remus took off running, Sirius wouldn’t swear it, but he thought he might have skipped.
The town looked to be fair-sized and bustling. Remus must have been right — the weather was about to turn cold and people were out doing their shopping before it became too miserable.
“The town looks like it might be past it’s best,” James said, as soon as they’d all caught up.
“He says that based on the number of pubs and chip shops we’ve passed — not enough,” said Lily.
“Maybe it’s not much out here, but our bit’s really good,” Remus said, his face alight with the kind of excitement you might have to wait months to see on Moony’s face.
“My bits are really good,” Peter said, looking around for the others’ reaction.
Normally, Sirius might have given him a bit of a laugh — for the effort only — for that one, but he couldn’t seem to look away from Remus and his wonder at being back here in the site of childhood holidays.
“Moony’s old hunting grounds,” said Sirius. Lily rolled her eyes at him. She wasn’t quite used to the werewolf jokes yet and always seemed a little concerned they’d hurt Remus’ feelings. What she didn’t know yet was that the best way to hurt his feelings was to not take the piss now and again.
“There is an abundance of geese,” Remus said.
James and Sirius and Lily all laughed, and it took Peter a moment to join in — apparently still smarting that his ‘bits’ bit didn’t take hold.
“Lead the way, then, Moony,” James said, clapping Remus on the shoulder.
“There’s a brilliant fish and chips shop, an ice cream shop that makes Fortescue’s look dull, and a toy shop that has every game ever invented,” said Remus. “It’s through here.” He gestured to an unpromising alley and started through. He looked so happy that Sirius had to fight back an urge to push him against the wall and snog him senseless.
They walked down the alley, passing behind the church with it’s tall steeple that stood over the town like a sentinel, and when they’d got to the end, Remus tapped his wand on what looked like a solid wall. It melted away and the alley continued another twenty paces. A warm light shone at the end, and Sirius hurried to keep up with Remus whose strides had become longer and faster.
**********
Sirius read the same sentence for the ninth time. For some reason that Sirius cannot remember, they’d decided to do research. Lily and Peter were at the bookshop to pick up a few things Dumbledore had ordered for them. James was supposed to be casing the areas where there had been Death Eater sightings, but he was really trying to get a last-minute Christmas present for Lily — something only Sirius knew. Sirius and Remus had been left behind to sift through rolls and rolls of parchment on tracking charms, mapping techniques, and several essays on the theory behind the Humonculous Charm.
“It’s a lovely day for a walk, don’t you think, Moony?” Sirius asked. Sirius always enjoyed the way Remus’ hair became all tousled in a breeze and his cheeks turned pink on contact with cold air.
Their room in the Tilted Hat was lovely and warm, and Sirius could certainly see why Remus might not want to leave it. By sheer luck, he’d ended up sharing with Remus, which was both perfect and torturous. When they’d checked in, Dumbledore’s friend had told them there were three rooms available. Two had two beds and one smaller one had one bed and a private bath. Mr Hauser had given Lily the single room of course, which resulted in a lengthy bargaining session, as soon as they were out of Hauser’s ear shot, on the part of Lily and James to get one of the others to take the single room so they could share. Sirius had watched Peter’s internal war — he both wanted to please James and did not want to be the odd man out, the only one alone. In the end, his desire to please had won out. Sirius also watched with a great deal of interest as Remus didn’t make a single move to change with Peter. Peter had made one last ditch attempt to share with James by saying they’d get them all booted out, if the proprietor discovered the switch. Remus’ suggestion that Peter should bath in lavender every morning so the room wouldn’t smell like him shut him up.
Remus squinted at him from the parchment he was studying and glanced at the window. “It’s windy, drizzly, and cold.”
“I don’t think drizzly is a word.” Overnight, the Christmas decorations had gone up in town. Sirius would have sworn he could smell chestnuts. Remus would get all chilly and he might need to press near Sirius, and the holiday cheer was romantic, and Sirius might, in a desperate attempt to ward off frostbite of the lips, warm Moony’s with his.
“Of course it’s a word,” Remus said.
“That’s hardly the point,” Sirius said, wondering why Remus was being so contrary when this was the first time in the two days since they arrived here that the other three had buggered off.
Remus made an adorable little sound of frustration. “You’re the one who brought it up. You were saying that this is a lovely day for a walk,” Remus said, gesturing at the window where the drizzle seemed to have decided to make a good show of it.
“What I meant was, that if we want to be able to gather intel incognito, a day such as this when there are likely to be fewer people out and about would be a good one to do it,” Sirius said, nodding.
Remus looked as if he was pulling apart each word to find the fault in the logic, but as Sirius knew his logic was airtight, he reached for his cloak in a gesture of triumph.
“Okay, that actually makes sense,” Remus said.
“Of course it does, Moony.” Sirius tossed Remus his cloak. “Step out on the town with me.”
“Idiot,” said Remus, and Sirius chose not to examine the lovely, warm, squirmy feeling he got whenever Remus called him an idiot or daft.
It really was a miserable day — right on the threshold of cold enough to snow, so the drizzle was as cold as ice, but not pleasant and fluffy like snow. The wind off the sea was as bitter and cold as the North Sea itself. Sirius wrapped his cloak more tightly around his shoulders and wondered for a moment if this was his best idea. He glanced at Remus whose nose was turning pink and hair was curling in the damp breeze and decided that it was.
The magical section of the town was four streets that spanned from the churchyard to the mudflats, and Remus wasn’t lying when he’d said that the magical bits of town were good. It wasn’t Diagon Alley by any means, but there were some brilliant shops and the holiday decorations made it bright despite the gloomy day.
Remus had a bloody photographic memory, so the level of effort required of Sirius until the actual drawing of the map commenced was pretty minimal. All he had to do was keep a bit of parchment with notes for things Remus wanted to be more precise than he trusted his memory to be. Sirius was all right with that — as a rule, he didn’t like to feel useless, but Remus’ freakish memory meant that Sirius could pay attention to details like nooks and crannies where someone could hide, and to the way Remus bit his bottom lip when he concentrated. So, it was a bit of all right, really.
“Look,” Sirius said, as they passed a pub. Two people came out and warm air, smelling of food, wafted over him. The only thing better than Remus rumpled by weather was Remus warming up and tucking in to a good meal. “Moony,” he said. “It must be lunchtime.”
“It’s not even eleven,” Remus said. “We need to finish or we’ll never be done by Christmas.”
Remus loved Christmas and, he hadn’t said, but Sirius knew he’d be bothered about not being home for it. His dad was at his Aunt’s house anyway, but Remus was a creature of habit and tradition, and there were ways things ought to be done.
“Fine, but when we’re finished, you owe me a Butterbeer and a steak and kidney pie,” said Sirius.
“Daft,” Remus said, somewhat distractedly. Sirius still enjoyed the tone of affection and the way the corner of Remus’ mouth twitched even as he could see Remus cataloguing the length and angle of the street. “Make a note that there are twenty paces between the front door of the pub and the bookshop.”
It wasn’t long until they were at the end of the shopping area. A few stragglers had booths selling the Christmas tree ornaments that had not been chosen first and some sad looking sweets. Remus stopped a few paces in front of Sirius and Sirius readied his quill for whatever important bit of information was about to come, but none did.
“What’re you looking at, Moony?” Sirius asked. Remus had a nostalgic little smile on his face as he looked off into the distance.
“Come on.” Remus grabbed Sirius’ hand and started to jog to the end of the Main Street.
Sirius’ fingers were warm where Remus held his and Sirius grinned as he took off after him. At the edge of the town, the road opened up into a wide beach and promenade lined with tacky seaside attractions — a fortune teller’s booth with a sign claiming to be the fourth great granddaughter of the Count di Cagliostro; a tiny merry-go-round with unicorns and hippogriffs; and carnival games from Spot-the-Boggart to a Pumpkin-Toss with tiny cauldrons, all claiming that everyone wins. A cold sea-breeze brushed across Sirius’ face and he could taste the salt on his lips.
“My granddad used to bring me here,” Remus said. He looked down at their joined hands and his wind-burned pink cheeks turned a deeper shade of red as he unclasped Sirius’ hand. “I’ve never seen it in winter.”
Sirius could easily imagine wee-Remus holding onto his grandfather’s hand, asking for an ice cream, asking for one more game or ride. “Show me,” said Sirius, thinking he should take Remus’ hand again, but Remus stepped away and all Sirius could do was follow.
The abandoned rides groaned and creaked in the wind and the signs advertising the games and the fortune teller’s booth looked as if they’d weathered many a winter. The sounds of Christmas carols and that odd, haunting call of the geese swept to them on the breeze.
“I suppose it’s not much this time of year,” said Remus, shrugging.
It was barren and the sky and the sea were nearly the same steel-grey, and the faded colors on the promenade were a melancholy echo of summertime. “It’s brilliant,” said Sirius.
Remus gave him a bemused, fond look and Sirius held his gaze. “Daft,” Remus said, bumping his shoulder against Sirius.
Sirius’ chest warmed with the realisation that he no longer had to wonder if he was going to kiss Remus on this trip. He had to create the perfect moment for when.
**********
“The intrepid explorers return,” said Peter.
Sirius shook off his damp cloak as he and Remus stepped into what was supposed to be James and Peter’s room. The books Lily and Peter had picked up were spread out on the table, and when Sirius looked questioningly at James, he nodded so only Sirius could see. So, he’d succeeded in the gift department. As pleased as he always was to see James and the others, he couldn’t help but feel a little regret that he was no longer alone with Remus.
“We were strolling down Moony’s memory lane,” said Sirius. “The beach front is brilliant.”
“We were scouring the town for details,” Remus corrected. “Including the beach front.”
Sirius didn’t know why Remus would keep that part of their excursion between the two of them, but the thought that Moony wanted it to be just theirs made a little burst of warmth bloom in his chest.
“Right, well, while you were eating ice creams and having your fortunes told, some of us were working,” James said. “Should we take stock of where we’ve all got to?”
Sirius was tempted to ask James what was in the shopping bag under his chair, if he had been toiling away, but loyalty outweighed irritation. He and Remus explained what they had seen and how far they’d got in transferring his notes and Remus’ memories onto parchment. Lily and Peter had picked up several books on cartography and some others on dark magic the Dumbledore had asked them to bring back with them. James managed to skip over what he’d been doing, rather masterfully if Sirius cared to admit it.
“What did you find out?” Lily asked James pointedly after he’d changed the subject three times.
“Oh, Wormtail,” James exclaimed as if he’d just remembered something. “I saw the Chasers for the Magpies, all having a pint in the pub.”
Peter loved the Magpies and he became so overly excited that Lily huffed and gave up.
“Speaking of pubs,” said Remus, after the third time Peter had asked for a full description of everyone James had seen and heard. “I’m famished. I’m going to run out and get us some supplies before the shops all close.”
“Pete,” Lily said, taking Remus’ interruption as an opportunity to stem the tide of babble about the Magpies. “We have to let Dumbledore know that the books arrived. We can use the Floo in my room.”
“So, you going to tell me?” James said, the moment they were alone.
“Dunno, Prongs,” said Sirius. “Depends what the hell you’re talking about.”
“What’s up with you and Moony?”
Sirius’ stomach fell to his feet. “No idea.”
“Don’t give me that,” said James. “I’m going to ask Lily to marry me tomorrow, but you probably already know that.”
“And I’ll be here for you when she shoots you down, mate,” said Sirius.
“You’re hilarious,” said James. “My point, however, is that you knew.”
“How is that the point?”
“I never told you, Padfoot. I never told you, but you knew that I am mad enough for her that I’m going to do it. I’m going to ask her.”
“Oh.”
“Yes,” said James. “Oh. So, let’s try again. What’s up with you and Moony?”
“I’m going to tell him,” said Sirius. What he was going to tell him — that he’d fancied him for years, that he was the reason he’d realised he was gay, that he couldn’t imagine being with anyone else, that he wanted to spend his life with him — he didn’t know. But then, he didn’t have to explain any of that to James. They’d never talked about it, but he knew.
“You should put on Padfoot’s collar when you do it,” James said. “I think Moony likes it.”
Sirius felt an uncomfortable mix of embarrassment and hope, with a spike of desire and anticipation. It seemed rather a lot of feelings to be having at once. “Arse,” he said to James, and immediately felt better.
**********
Remus loved Christmas. He loved the lights and the music and the food, and Sirius had plans. He’d booked a table at the finest restaurant in the town — one that boasted a five course Christmas Eve dinner — for James and Lily. James had a ring in his pocket, and Sirius was sure that Lily knew, but she was pretending like the good egg she was. Peter looked as if someone had put coal in his stocking when he found out that James was going out without him, but he cheered up at the thought of three single men together for a pub night.
Sirius almost felt guilty when the owl swooped onto the windowsill, carrying a letter that looked remarkably like it had been written by Peter’s mother. It wasn’t as if he was causing any actual harm. There was almost no chance that Peter’s mum wouldn’t be happy to have him home, whether or not she’d actually said that to anyone. And once he was home, there was little chance he’d leave, even if he found out she hadn’t written the letter.
“That leaves us, then,” said Remus, once Peter had left for home and James and Lily had gone to get themselves dolled up for their dinner.
“Why the tone of disappointment?” Sirius said. “I’m going to try very hard not to have my Christmas spirit crushed by your lack of faith that this will be your best Christmas ever.”
“That’s not what I meant and you —” Remus said.
“No, no, Moony. It’s too late,” Sirius said. Remus rolled his eyes. “If you’re feeling sufficiently guilty, there is a way you can make it up to me.”
“And how is that?”
“You can run along to the bakery and get us a nice cake,” Sirius said.
“A cake would ease your pain, would it?” Remus asked, with that delightful little almost-grin that Remus always got when he was finding Sirius charming despite his best efforts.
“It would,” Sirius said. “It would perhaps even make me cheerful again if it had chocolate cream in the middle.”
“You are daft,” Remus said, pausing after each word as if it were it’s own sentence.
Remus was smiling at him, his Christmas spirit clearly fully restored. Sirius felt almost giddy. “But you’re putting on your cloak, Moony. So I am getting my chocolate cream-filled cake.”
Remus shook his head and said decisively, “Arse.” And he swept out of the room.
The second he heard Remus’ boots descending the stairs, Sirius began to transform the room. He conjured little floating lights in shades from pale silver to deep gold, garlands of holly, tiny Christmas trees, and gold and red streamers. He pulled the wireless he’d managed to borrow, after being his most charming with Mr Hauser, from under the bed. He charmed the room to smell of cinnamon and cloves and he transfigured the small, rickety bedside table into a round dining table, perfect for two. He set the table with china and silverware, also borrowed from Mr Hauser, and spread out bread and butter, cheese, ham, roast chicken, crisps, and tiny clementine oranges. It wasn’t exactly goose and roast potatoes, but it was most of Moony’s favourites.
Sirius stood back to survey his work. The level of decorations made it look a bit as if Christmas had exploded all over the room, and he considered editing himself. But then the light he’d set to glow when Remus was approaching flashed bright and Sirius decided that over-the-top was his style, for better or for worse. Sirius turned to the mirror and checked that Padfoot’s collar was clearly visible above his shirt.
The door swung open and Remus was nearly obscured by the huge cake box he carried.
“Happy Christmas,” said Sirius, spreading out his arms in welcome.
Remus froze in the doorway and Sirius hurried to grab the cake. If Moony were so overjoyed by the spectacle, Sirius did not want to risk him dropping the cake in his excitement. As much as the bakery errand had been a way to get Remus out of the way for a bit, Sirius did really, really like chocolate cake.
“What’s all this?” Remus asked, which wasn’t exactly the expression of glee for which Sirius had hoped, but given Moony’s often calm exterior, Sirius decided that it was a start.
“Happy Christmas,” he said again.
“You said that,” Remus said.
He realised he hadn’t thought beyond the initial moment. How he was going to get from too many lights and garlands, piles of food, and chocolate cream to the kissing bits hadn’t actually figured into his plan.
“Well, then act like it,” Sirius said and Remus shook his head with a look of fond irritation. Remus is the only person he knows who can pull off both fondness and irritation at the same time. “Join me for some holiday cheer,” he said, bowing low and gesturing Remus to take a seat and the beautifully set table.
Sirius sat and Remus did indeed take the seat. He looked as if he thought his chair might explode or one of the legs fall out from under him. Sirius reflected that he couldn’t really blame him for his suspicion, but it did sting a bit when he’d put forth his best effort to seduce him.
Sirius poured wine into both of their cups. It was good wine and he was grateful for about a third of a second that he’d been brought up to be able to recognize the good stuff from plonk. Nothing but the best for the great seducing of Moony.
“Cheers,” Sirius said, taking a sip of the wine. He tilted his head back to best show off the collar — he had no idea if James was right about Moony, and he would murder him in his sleep if he was taking the piss, but it couldn’t hurt.
“Cheers,” Remus said, still with the tone of suspicion. So, Sirius gave him his best smile.
Remus’ gaze darted from the collar, to his mouth and his disarmingly charming crooked half-smile, to his eyes. Sirius began to worry that Remus was going to get motion sickness before he could kiss him.
“This feels like a…” Remus made a vague circling motion with his hands that ended in an awkward flutter. He looked moderately deranged and Sirius reflected that it was a good thing he was already smitten beyond hope. “I mean, the candles, the food, the decorations. It’s very nice, Padfoot.”
“I wanted you to have a nice Christmas, even though you’re not where you want to be,” said Sirius.
Remus looked around the room and back at Sirius. His gaze lingered on the collar a bit longer this time. “I’m where I want to be.”
Sirius moved his hand on the table so that he linked his little finger with Remus’, and then he held his breath until Remus smiled at his ham sandwich and curled his finger tighter around Sirius’.
“If you were about to say this feels like a date,” Sirius said. “So there’s no confusion, that’s what I was aiming for.”
“Oh,” Remus said, smiling again at what must be the best ham sandwich in Scotland. He looked up at Sirius, that pleased smile playing on his lip, and he moved his hand so it was covering Sirius’. “Good.”
Bubbles of giddiness percolated in Sirius’ chest. The distance from decorating and cake to that first kiss suddenly seemed not so far at all. “Good,” Sirius said.
Sirius reached for his wine and a flash of silver light made Sirius reach for his wand instead, as Remus leapt to his feet. A silver stag rushed into the room and said, it’s majestic head turning to them, “Padfoot, Moony, come now. The beach at the end of the high street.”
“I know exactly where it is,” said Remus. He Took Sirius’ arm and they Disapparated.
A bitter, icy wind blew off the sea. Sirius turned up his collar against the chill. “James. Lily,” he called, his voice being carried off on the wind.
“There they are,” Remus said. He grabbed Sirius’ arm again and Sirius reached to squeeze his fingers. Remus turned to look at him. “I am sorry our evening was interrupted, Padfoot.”
“Me too,” said Sirius. “Right.” And they jogged down the beach to where they’d seen the light of Lily’s wand.
“Good,” said James as they reached him and Lily. “It’s Peter. We were walking to dinner and Lily saw him, with two people. He should have been at his Mum’s by then.”
“We trailed them to the beach and they disappeared, there,” said Lily, pointing to a jetty that stretched out into the ocean. Waves crashed over it, sending freezing spray into the air.
Sirius righted his grip on his wand and he felt Remus tense next to him. Lily and James both wore the same fierce and intense expressions and Sirius had a moment of pity for whoever it was who had Peter. He hoped it was just some ordinary thugs, and not Death Eaters, but he wasn’t going to hold his breath.
Remus held up one hand and they all stilled. Softly, on the breeze, voices were carried to their ears. When he held his breath, Sirius could make out three different tones. Four against two then. Those were excellent odds.
Lily signaled that they should go around the far side of the jetty. The sand muffled their footsteps and the direction of the wind virtually guaranteed that no one would hear them coming.
They reached the jetty and crouched down.
“Tell us what the hell you and your disgusting so-called friends are doing here,” said a posh and nasal voice that sounded disturbingly familiar to Sirius. “Or they’ll find you in bits.”
“H-h-h-holiday,” stammered Peter’s shaking voice.
“Bollocks,” said another, rougher, deeper voice. “You following us, P-p-p-pettigrew?”
Peter whimpered and that was clearly enough for James because he vaulted onto the jetty and pointed his wand. The rest of them were a split second behind him. Malfoy and Rosier both did fine impressions of codfish that would have been funny if Peter’s terrified face wasn’t also staring up at him.
They, on the jetty, and Malfoy and Rosier below all moved for their wands, but that slight advantage of surprise worked for them. “Incarcerous,” was shouted in four voices before Malfoy and Rosier got off their hexes. The resulting ropes made the two arseholes look like mummies. Their wands fell with soft thuds into the sand.
The four of them leapt from the jetty and faced Rosier and Malfoy, wands trained at their chests.
“What fine company you keep now, Black. You and your motley crew going to kill me?” Lucius asked, staring at Sirius with such a smarmy sneer on his face that Sirius was tempted to kill him.
“If we planned to kill you, you’d be dead,” Remus said, taking a step toward Lucius. Lucius flinched and Sirius laughed out loud.
“Are you hurt, Peter?” James asked.
Sirius glanced at him and saw that he had a small trickle of blood coming from his nose. “I tink by dose id brok’ed,” Peter said, his voice shaking.
“I’ll go and get the Aurors,” said Lily. “Keep them here, and don’t break their noses for them.”
“Sensible little Mudblood,” sneered Rosier.
“Shut your idiot mouth,” growled Lucius, as Sirius, James, and Remus all took another step closer and raised their wands again.
“Listen to your pretty little friend here,” said Lily. “Or I’ll rethink my plan and let the three of them do whatever they want to you.”
**********
“I’m knackered,” Lily said, very decisively even for her, the moment they stepped into the inn. “Bed.”
The Aurors had come and taken Malfoy and Rosier back to London for questioning on a charge of assault. Peter would be expected to appear as a witness at some point, but given the solicitors at Malfoy’s disposal, probably nothing would happen to them.
“Yeah, we’ll finish up the first draft of the map and get the hell out of here first thing tomorrow,” said James.
Peter stood looking utterly miserable, and Sirius was sure it was taking every ounce of his strength not to shake. It was truly the last thing in the world he wanted to do, but he caught Remus’ eye and Remus nodded.
“Wormtail,” Sirius said. “You bunk in here with Moony. Don’t think it’s fair for you to be alone in a room far from anyone tonight.”
“Yeah, I’ll sleep with one eye open and my wand in my hand,” said Remus, clapping his hand on Peter’s shoulder.
Sirius thought that Peter might just dissolve into a puddle on the floor. “If…if you think that’s best,” said Peter. “I’d be fine with it.”
“I think we’d all sleep better,” said James. “Thanks, lads.” The final approval from James was all it took for Peter to gain back the inch in height he seemed to have lost over the evening.
“And I get a room to myself,” Sirius said. “Looks like I win here.” He tried to infuse that last with every bit of irony he felt. The idea that Narcissa’s idiot boyfriend had ruined his plans for the best Christmas Eve ever really, really was a bitter potion.
**********
Sirius sat bolt upright in bed, his wand already in his hand.
“Christ, it’s me,” Remus said, sounding startled.
“Bloody hell, Moony.” Sirius took a deep breath and willed his heart rate to return to normal. He slowly put his wand back on the bedside table. “Not exactly the night to be sneaking up on a bloke.”
“I could go if you’d like,” said Remus, not making any move at all to go.
The light from a street lamp streamed in to the room, illuminating Remus standing in the middle of the floor in his nightshirt and bare feet, wearing a silly grin. Something about the bare feet made Sirius want to pull him into bed and wrap his arms around him.
“What are you doing out of bed?” Sirius asked. “I thought you were sleeping with one eye open.”
“But you see, I have both of them open now,” Remus said. “I put a charm on the door and the windows in the other room. If anyone touches either of them, I’ll know.”
“Oh,” Sirius said. “And you decided to use your considerable charms talents and your current wakefulness to pay me a visit?”
“That was some very fine scheming you did earlier, Padfoot,” Remus said. He sat down on the edge of the bed, and as many times as they’d been in and on a bed together, this felt different. “I figured such a plan deserved to be resurrected.”
“You always were brilliant at helping my plans along.”
“I have a plan of my own,” said Remus.
He leaned closer. His hand touched the side of Sirius’ hip and his cheek brushed, warm and soft, against Sirius’.
“I think I like your plan, Moony,” murmured Sirius.
He turned his head and pressed his lips against Remus’. Remus kissed him back, hot and firm, tangling his fingers in Sirius’ hair. Sirius’ felt the kiss to his toes as he pulled Remus tight against him, pressing their warm bodies against each other. He could feel Remus’ heart racing and chest heaving. The accumulated desire of years rushed through his body and he had to pull away to breathe, to slow down, to notice every touch of lips, brush of fingers, and slide of tongue.
“Come here,” he said, pulling at Remus until he was on the bed with him.
Remus stretched out next to him, his lanky body touching Sirius’ from knees to chest. Remus propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at Sirius. Sirius felt like he could melt from the heat of Remus’ gaze. “Fuck, but you’re beautiful,” Remus said, and Sirius had been told that more times than he could count, but it never meant anything to him before.
Sirius wrapped his arm around Remus. “You feel really good,” Sirius said, smoothing his hand down Remus’ back and letting it come to rest where the dip of his spine began to curve to his arse.
Remus’ fingers traced the side of Sirius’ face, over his jaw, and around his throat. “Put the collar back on,” Remus whispered.
Sirius laughed softly, dizzy with happiness and wanting. “Accio collar,” Sirius said. It came flying out of the pile of his discarded clothes and into his hand. “You put it on for me,” he said, handing it to Remus.
Remus took it and ran the worn leather through his hands. He smoothed it around Sirius’ throat and lifted Sirius’ head to fasten the buckle. Sirius felt a slight bite of the leather into his sensitive skin as Remus tightened it and he gasped.
“Oh, sorry,” Remus said quickly. “Too tight?”
“God, no. Just right,” Sirius said, feeling himself flush. “I like it.”
“I really like it.” Remus rolled closer and Sirius felt him hard against his thigh. “Is this okay?” Remus asked as he pushed aside the blankets and moved to lie on top of Sirius.
“Yes,” Sirius said. He was only wearing pyjama bottoms and he thought for a moment that he must look ridiculous in stripy pyjama bottoms, a dog collar, and a rather evident erection, but the look on Remus’ face told him he needn’t worry.
Remus rolled his body and Sirius gasped as their hips connected.
“I can’t believe you want this too,” Remus said, rocking against Sirius again.
Sirius’ answer that, of course he did, and if Remus only knew how many nights he’d lain awake aching for Remus, was cut off by Remus’ hot mouth. So, Sirius poured every bit of longing and desire he’d ever had into the kiss. They moved together, tasting each others’ mouths, and rocking faster and harder until they were both gasping into the kiss, hips stuttering frantically against each other.
Remus collapsed onto Sirius, his face burrowed into the crook of Sirius’ neck. He was still and quiet and for a moment, Sirius was afraid that Remus regretted what they’d done.
“Moony?” Sirius asked quietly, wrapping his arms around Remus to keep the heavy, comforting weight of Remus on top of him.
Remus kissed Sirius’ neck, right above the collar. Sirius let out a quick breath when Remus’ teeth pulled lightly at it. “Did I mention that I really, really like it when you wear this?”
“Duly noted,” said Sirius.
“Sirius?” Remus asked, kissing Sirius’ jaw.
“Yeah?”
“Happy Christmas.”
Reporting back to Dumbledore and the Aurors, finishing the map, and helping Peter to face Malfoy and Rosier all waited for them. But for now, the cold breeze off the sea buffeted the windows of the warm little room, and Remus, flushed and sticky and looking oh-so-willing, was in bed with him. There were hours yet until morning.
“Happy Christmas, Moony.”
Author/Artist:
mindabblesRecipient:
musingsofmauraRating: R
Contents or warnings (highlight to view): *light sexual content, mentions of how very much Remus likes Padfoot’s collar*
Word count: 6,700
Summary: If they could map Hogwarts, then perhaps they could map other places too — that’s Dumbledore’s plan. James has a plan. Sirius has a plan of his own. Peter, it turns out, doesn’t have plan, but manages to get in the way of other plans. Remus, perhaps, has the best plan of all.
Notes: Maura, I hope that you enjoy this! Thank you and many holiday goodies to
liseuse for the beta. “I think that you lot are just the people to bring a rather brilliant idea I’ve had to life,” Dumbledore said, looking down his impressively crooked nose. Sirius tried not to look directly into his piercing blue eyes — he always had the sense that Dumbledore could see more than he might want the old man to see. “Our cause would be greatly aided by a map.”
“Map?” James said. His voice rose unnaturally high and the intense look of curiosity he was feigning made him look a bit unhinged. If Dumbledore was bringing it up, he knew about the map and he knew who wrote it. Sirius couldn’t imagine what James was worried about — it wasn’t as if he could give them detention.
“Yes, based on that rather remarkable map, possession of which I believe Mr. Filch regrettably relieved you.” A grin played about one corner of Dumbledore’s mouth and Sirius was reminded of the impression he’s had since he met the man that he enjoys mischief every bit as much as the four of them do. “It was a pretty impressive bit of magic.”
Remus was contemplating his shoe laces as if he expected them to do something surprising. He cleared his throat. Peter seemed to be trying to disappear behind a potted fern. Remus never wanted to disappoint Dumbledore, and Peter never wanted to be the one noticed by anyone apart from James. But Sirius couldn’t understand James’ apparent loss of his spine, until he noticed Lily glaring at him. James hated for her to be reminded of his less responsible days. Although, knowing Lily, she was more likely naffed off that there was a bit of cool charms work she didn’t know how to do.
Given that everyone else seemed to have lost their ability to speak, Sirius decide to take one for the team. “A map that can tell us Death Eaters’ whereabouts?”
“That’s the general idea, yes,” said Dumbledore. “It should be possible. The noble profession of cartography is, after all, the graphic representation of one interpretation of reality. Yes. That sounds like just the ticket. I’d like you, including Miss Evans, to travel to Montrose. It’s a large enough town that it will require you to expand the scope of the map, with a contained enough magical section that you will have reasonable boundaries, and there have been some signs of Death Eater activity in the Muggle parts of the town. A perfect balance, I’d say.”
It struck Sirius that a large town with Muggles and wizards and witches, and Death Eater activities, in the dead of winter sounded like anything but the perfect balance.
“Sir,” said Remus. “If there’s current Death Eater activity now, won’t it be difficult to work on the map without being detected?”
“Excellent point, Mr Lupin,” said Dumbledore, which didn’t really seem like an answer. “You can find lodging at The Tilted Hat. The proprietor is a Mr Hauser. He owes me a favour.”
The twinkle in Dumbledore’s eye made Sirius wonder just what sort of favour he was owed.
They Apparated a short walk from the edge of town. Sirius could smell the sea. The air was chilly, but not too cold, with a dampness in the wind that Sirius could tell would be bitter if it were any colder. Steel-grey clouds hung low, making the sky seem so close he could touch it. He could see that the place must be nice enough in the summer, but it was harsh and bleak now.
“It’s beautiful here, isn’t it?” Remus asked. A smile played about his lips that made him look much younger, and more carefree, than he did of late. “It’s going to turn cold,” said Remus, cocking his head like a real wolf listening for the crack of a twig under a deer’s hoof.
James and Lily and Peter had arrived a few minutes before them, and were almost to the edge of town, leaving Sirius to walk with Remus. Sirius stole a glance at Remus. He was scanning the horizon, his warm brown eyes alight with curiosity. Remus loved to travel. He loved restaurants and pubs and inns. He found something to enjoy in any new place and Sirius loved watching him enjoy it.
It was bleak, but it wasn’t particularly cold. If anything, it seemed warm for this time of year. “Why do you say that?” Sirius asked.
“The pink-foot geese,” said Remus.
“Have you been drinking?”
“Daft,” said Remus, laughing and shaking his head, which didn’t answer Sirius’ question at all. “Come on,” Remus said. He turned back to look at Sirius as he started to jog. The wind blew his hair around his face, his expression bright with anticipation. Sirius had the image of him as a boy on holiday and was hit with a wave of fondness. “We’re almost there.”
Remus broke into a run and Sirius sprinted to catch him up. The ground was soft and a little sandy. Ahead, Sirius saw the town coming into clear view. Sirius could hear an odd sound coming to him on the breeze — a melancholy sound.
Remus stopped suddenly and Sirius almost ran into the back of him. Sirius drew his wand.
“What?”
A mudflat stretched out before them, covered in large white and grey birds. Their haunting call became almost deafening as Remus and Sirius reached the edge of the mudflat.
“There’s thousands of them,” said Sirius.
“Pink-foot geese,” Remus said. “They come when the weather turns.”
Sirius stared at Remus in amazement. “How do you know that?”
He followed Remus’ gaze. Remus’ eyes were hungrily taking in a wide, sandy beach and a deserted promenade in the distance. Sirius could just see the top of a Ferris wheel beyond the dunes.
“My grandparents used to bring me here on holiday when I was a kid,” Remus said. “Let’s go around.” He gestured to a path that would take them over low hills to get to town, leaving the geese to their shuffling and calling to one another. As Remus took off running, Sirius wouldn’t swear it, but he thought he might have skipped.
The town looked to be fair-sized and bustling. Remus must have been right — the weather was about to turn cold and people were out doing their shopping before it became too miserable.
“The town looks like it might be past it’s best,” James said, as soon as they’d all caught up.
“He says that based on the number of pubs and chip shops we’ve passed — not enough,” said Lily.
“Maybe it’s not much out here, but our bit’s really good,” Remus said, his face alight with the kind of excitement you might have to wait months to see on Moony’s face.
“My bits are really good,” Peter said, looking around for the others’ reaction.
Normally, Sirius might have given him a bit of a laugh — for the effort only — for that one, but he couldn’t seem to look away from Remus and his wonder at being back here in the site of childhood holidays.
“Moony’s old hunting grounds,” said Sirius. Lily rolled her eyes at him. She wasn’t quite used to the werewolf jokes yet and always seemed a little concerned they’d hurt Remus’ feelings. What she didn’t know yet was that the best way to hurt his feelings was to not take the piss now and again.
“There is an abundance of geese,” Remus said.
James and Sirius and Lily all laughed, and it took Peter a moment to join in — apparently still smarting that his ‘bits’ bit didn’t take hold.
“Lead the way, then, Moony,” James said, clapping Remus on the shoulder.
“There’s a brilliant fish and chips shop, an ice cream shop that makes Fortescue’s look dull, and a toy shop that has every game ever invented,” said Remus. “It’s through here.” He gestured to an unpromising alley and started through. He looked so happy that Sirius had to fight back an urge to push him against the wall and snog him senseless.
They walked down the alley, passing behind the church with it’s tall steeple that stood over the town like a sentinel, and when they’d got to the end, Remus tapped his wand on what looked like a solid wall. It melted away and the alley continued another twenty paces. A warm light shone at the end, and Sirius hurried to keep up with Remus whose strides had become longer and faster.
Sirius read the same sentence for the ninth time. For some reason that Sirius cannot remember, they’d decided to do research. Lily and Peter were at the bookshop to pick up a few things Dumbledore had ordered for them. James was supposed to be casing the areas where there had been Death Eater sightings, but he was really trying to get a last-minute Christmas present for Lily — something only Sirius knew. Sirius and Remus had been left behind to sift through rolls and rolls of parchment on tracking charms, mapping techniques, and several essays on the theory behind the Humonculous Charm.
“It’s a lovely day for a walk, don’t you think, Moony?” Sirius asked. Sirius always enjoyed the way Remus’ hair became all tousled in a breeze and his cheeks turned pink on contact with cold air.
Their room in the Tilted Hat was lovely and warm, and Sirius could certainly see why Remus might not want to leave it. By sheer luck, he’d ended up sharing with Remus, which was both perfect and torturous. When they’d checked in, Dumbledore’s friend had told them there were three rooms available. Two had two beds and one smaller one had one bed and a private bath. Mr Hauser had given Lily the single room of course, which resulted in a lengthy bargaining session, as soon as they were out of Hauser’s ear shot, on the part of Lily and James to get one of the others to take the single room so they could share. Sirius had watched Peter’s internal war — he both wanted to please James and did not want to be the odd man out, the only one alone. In the end, his desire to please had won out. Sirius also watched with a great deal of interest as Remus didn’t make a single move to change with Peter. Peter had made one last ditch attempt to share with James by saying they’d get them all booted out, if the proprietor discovered the switch. Remus’ suggestion that Peter should bath in lavender every morning so the room wouldn’t smell like him shut him up.
Remus squinted at him from the parchment he was studying and glanced at the window. “It’s windy, drizzly, and cold.”
“I don’t think drizzly is a word.” Overnight, the Christmas decorations had gone up in town. Sirius would have sworn he could smell chestnuts. Remus would get all chilly and he might need to press near Sirius, and the holiday cheer was romantic, and Sirius might, in a desperate attempt to ward off frostbite of the lips, warm Moony’s with his.
“Of course it’s a word,” Remus said.
“That’s hardly the point,” Sirius said, wondering why Remus was being so contrary when this was the first time in the two days since they arrived here that the other three had buggered off.
Remus made an adorable little sound of frustration. “You’re the one who brought it up. You were saying that this is a lovely day for a walk,” Remus said, gesturing at the window where the drizzle seemed to have decided to make a good show of it.
“What I meant was, that if we want to be able to gather intel incognito, a day such as this when there are likely to be fewer people out and about would be a good one to do it,” Sirius said, nodding.
Remus looked as if he was pulling apart each word to find the fault in the logic, but as Sirius knew his logic was airtight, he reached for his cloak in a gesture of triumph.
“Okay, that actually makes sense,” Remus said.
“Of course it does, Moony.” Sirius tossed Remus his cloak. “Step out on the town with me.”
“Idiot,” said Remus, and Sirius chose not to examine the lovely, warm, squirmy feeling he got whenever Remus called him an idiot or daft.
It really was a miserable day — right on the threshold of cold enough to snow, so the drizzle was as cold as ice, but not pleasant and fluffy like snow. The wind off the sea was as bitter and cold as the North Sea itself. Sirius wrapped his cloak more tightly around his shoulders and wondered for a moment if this was his best idea. He glanced at Remus whose nose was turning pink and hair was curling in the damp breeze and decided that it was.
The magical section of the town was four streets that spanned from the churchyard to the mudflats, and Remus wasn’t lying when he’d said that the magical bits of town were good. It wasn’t Diagon Alley by any means, but there were some brilliant shops and the holiday decorations made it bright despite the gloomy day.
Remus had a bloody photographic memory, so the level of effort required of Sirius until the actual drawing of the map commenced was pretty minimal. All he had to do was keep a bit of parchment with notes for things Remus wanted to be more precise than he trusted his memory to be. Sirius was all right with that — as a rule, he didn’t like to feel useless, but Remus’ freakish memory meant that Sirius could pay attention to details like nooks and crannies where someone could hide, and to the way Remus bit his bottom lip when he concentrated. So, it was a bit of all right, really.
“Look,” Sirius said, as they passed a pub. Two people came out and warm air, smelling of food, wafted over him. The only thing better than Remus rumpled by weather was Remus warming up and tucking in to a good meal. “Moony,” he said. “It must be lunchtime.”
“It’s not even eleven,” Remus said. “We need to finish or we’ll never be done by Christmas.”
Remus loved Christmas and, he hadn’t said, but Sirius knew he’d be bothered about not being home for it. His dad was at his Aunt’s house anyway, but Remus was a creature of habit and tradition, and there were ways things ought to be done.
“Fine, but when we’re finished, you owe me a Butterbeer and a steak and kidney pie,” said Sirius.
“Daft,” Remus said, somewhat distractedly. Sirius still enjoyed the tone of affection and the way the corner of Remus’ mouth twitched even as he could see Remus cataloguing the length and angle of the street. “Make a note that there are twenty paces between the front door of the pub and the bookshop.”
It wasn’t long until they were at the end of the shopping area. A few stragglers had booths selling the Christmas tree ornaments that had not been chosen first and some sad looking sweets. Remus stopped a few paces in front of Sirius and Sirius readied his quill for whatever important bit of information was about to come, but none did.
“What’re you looking at, Moony?” Sirius asked. Remus had a nostalgic little smile on his face as he looked off into the distance.
“Come on.” Remus grabbed Sirius’ hand and started to jog to the end of the Main Street.
Sirius’ fingers were warm where Remus held his and Sirius grinned as he took off after him. At the edge of the town, the road opened up into a wide beach and promenade lined with tacky seaside attractions — a fortune teller’s booth with a sign claiming to be the fourth great granddaughter of the Count di Cagliostro; a tiny merry-go-round with unicorns and hippogriffs; and carnival games from Spot-the-Boggart to a Pumpkin-Toss with tiny cauldrons, all claiming that everyone wins. A cold sea-breeze brushed across Sirius’ face and he could taste the salt on his lips.
“My granddad used to bring me here,” Remus said. He looked down at their joined hands and his wind-burned pink cheeks turned a deeper shade of red as he unclasped Sirius’ hand. “I’ve never seen it in winter.”
Sirius could easily imagine wee-Remus holding onto his grandfather’s hand, asking for an ice cream, asking for one more game or ride. “Show me,” said Sirius, thinking he should take Remus’ hand again, but Remus stepped away and all Sirius could do was follow.
The abandoned rides groaned and creaked in the wind and the signs advertising the games and the fortune teller’s booth looked as if they’d weathered many a winter. The sounds of Christmas carols and that odd, haunting call of the geese swept to them on the breeze.
“I suppose it’s not much this time of year,” said Remus, shrugging.
It was barren and the sky and the sea were nearly the same steel-grey, and the faded colors on the promenade were a melancholy echo of summertime. “It’s brilliant,” said Sirius.
Remus gave him a bemused, fond look and Sirius held his gaze. “Daft,” Remus said, bumping his shoulder against Sirius.
Sirius’ chest warmed with the realisation that he no longer had to wonder if he was going to kiss Remus on this trip. He had to create the perfect moment for when.
“The intrepid explorers return,” said Peter.
Sirius shook off his damp cloak as he and Remus stepped into what was supposed to be James and Peter’s room. The books Lily and Peter had picked up were spread out on the table, and when Sirius looked questioningly at James, he nodded so only Sirius could see. So, he’d succeeded in the gift department. As pleased as he always was to see James and the others, he couldn’t help but feel a little regret that he was no longer alone with Remus.
“We were strolling down Moony’s memory lane,” said Sirius. “The beach front is brilliant.”
“We were scouring the town for details,” Remus corrected. “Including the beach front.”
Sirius didn’t know why Remus would keep that part of their excursion between the two of them, but the thought that Moony wanted it to be just theirs made a little burst of warmth bloom in his chest.
“Right, well, while you were eating ice creams and having your fortunes told, some of us were working,” James said. “Should we take stock of where we’ve all got to?”
Sirius was tempted to ask James what was in the shopping bag under his chair, if he had been toiling away, but loyalty outweighed irritation. He and Remus explained what they had seen and how far they’d got in transferring his notes and Remus’ memories onto parchment. Lily and Peter had picked up several books on cartography and some others on dark magic the Dumbledore had asked them to bring back with them. James managed to skip over what he’d been doing, rather masterfully if Sirius cared to admit it.
“What did you find out?” Lily asked James pointedly after he’d changed the subject three times.
“Oh, Wormtail,” James exclaimed as if he’d just remembered something. “I saw the Chasers for the Magpies, all having a pint in the pub.”
Peter loved the Magpies and he became so overly excited that Lily huffed and gave up.
“Speaking of pubs,” said Remus, after the third time Peter had asked for a full description of everyone James had seen and heard. “I’m famished. I’m going to run out and get us some supplies before the shops all close.”
“Pete,” Lily said, taking Remus’ interruption as an opportunity to stem the tide of babble about the Magpies. “We have to let Dumbledore know that the books arrived. We can use the Floo in my room.”
“So, you going to tell me?” James said, the moment they were alone.
“Dunno, Prongs,” said Sirius. “Depends what the hell you’re talking about.”
“What’s up with you and Moony?”
Sirius’ stomach fell to his feet. “No idea.”
“Don’t give me that,” said James. “I’m going to ask Lily to marry me tomorrow, but you probably already know that.”
“And I’ll be here for you when she shoots you down, mate,” said Sirius.
“You’re hilarious,” said James. “My point, however, is that you knew.”
“How is that the point?”
“I never told you, Padfoot. I never told you, but you knew that I am mad enough for her that I’m going to do it. I’m going to ask her.”
“Oh.”
“Yes,” said James. “Oh. So, let’s try again. What’s up with you and Moony?”
“I’m going to tell him,” said Sirius. What he was going to tell him — that he’d fancied him for years, that he was the reason he’d realised he was gay, that he couldn’t imagine being with anyone else, that he wanted to spend his life with him — he didn’t know. But then, he didn’t have to explain any of that to James. They’d never talked about it, but he knew.
“You should put on Padfoot’s collar when you do it,” James said. “I think Moony likes it.”
Sirius felt an uncomfortable mix of embarrassment and hope, with a spike of desire and anticipation. It seemed rather a lot of feelings to be having at once. “Arse,” he said to James, and immediately felt better.
Remus loved Christmas. He loved the lights and the music and the food, and Sirius had plans. He’d booked a table at the finest restaurant in the town — one that boasted a five course Christmas Eve dinner — for James and Lily. James had a ring in his pocket, and Sirius was sure that Lily knew, but she was pretending like the good egg she was. Peter looked as if someone had put coal in his stocking when he found out that James was going out without him, but he cheered up at the thought of three single men together for a pub night.
Sirius almost felt guilty when the owl swooped onto the windowsill, carrying a letter that looked remarkably like it had been written by Peter’s mother. It wasn’t as if he was causing any actual harm. There was almost no chance that Peter’s mum wouldn’t be happy to have him home, whether or not she’d actually said that to anyone. And once he was home, there was little chance he’d leave, even if he found out she hadn’t written the letter.
“That leaves us, then,” said Remus, once Peter had left for home and James and Lily had gone to get themselves dolled up for their dinner.
“Why the tone of disappointment?” Sirius said. “I’m going to try very hard not to have my Christmas spirit crushed by your lack of faith that this will be your best Christmas ever.”
“That’s not what I meant and you —” Remus said.
“No, no, Moony. It’s too late,” Sirius said. Remus rolled his eyes. “If you’re feeling sufficiently guilty, there is a way you can make it up to me.”
“And how is that?”
“You can run along to the bakery and get us a nice cake,” Sirius said.
“A cake would ease your pain, would it?” Remus asked, with that delightful little almost-grin that Remus always got when he was finding Sirius charming despite his best efforts.
“It would,” Sirius said. “It would perhaps even make me cheerful again if it had chocolate cream in the middle.”
“You are daft,” Remus said, pausing after each word as if it were it’s own sentence.
Remus was smiling at him, his Christmas spirit clearly fully restored. Sirius felt almost giddy. “But you’re putting on your cloak, Moony. So I am getting my chocolate cream-filled cake.”
Remus shook his head and said decisively, “Arse.” And he swept out of the room.
The second he heard Remus’ boots descending the stairs, Sirius began to transform the room. He conjured little floating lights in shades from pale silver to deep gold, garlands of holly, tiny Christmas trees, and gold and red streamers. He pulled the wireless he’d managed to borrow, after being his most charming with Mr Hauser, from under the bed. He charmed the room to smell of cinnamon and cloves and he transfigured the small, rickety bedside table into a round dining table, perfect for two. He set the table with china and silverware, also borrowed from Mr Hauser, and spread out bread and butter, cheese, ham, roast chicken, crisps, and tiny clementine oranges. It wasn’t exactly goose and roast potatoes, but it was most of Moony’s favourites.
Sirius stood back to survey his work. The level of decorations made it look a bit as if Christmas had exploded all over the room, and he considered editing himself. But then the light he’d set to glow when Remus was approaching flashed bright and Sirius decided that over-the-top was his style, for better or for worse. Sirius turned to the mirror and checked that Padfoot’s collar was clearly visible above his shirt.
The door swung open and Remus was nearly obscured by the huge cake box he carried.
“Happy Christmas,” said Sirius, spreading out his arms in welcome.
Remus froze in the doorway and Sirius hurried to grab the cake. If Moony were so overjoyed by the spectacle, Sirius did not want to risk him dropping the cake in his excitement. As much as the bakery errand had been a way to get Remus out of the way for a bit, Sirius did really, really like chocolate cake.
“What’s all this?” Remus asked, which wasn’t exactly the expression of glee for which Sirius had hoped, but given Moony’s often calm exterior, Sirius decided that it was a start.
“Happy Christmas,” he said again.
“You said that,” Remus said.
He realised he hadn’t thought beyond the initial moment. How he was going to get from too many lights and garlands, piles of food, and chocolate cream to the kissing bits hadn’t actually figured into his plan.
“Well, then act like it,” Sirius said and Remus shook his head with a look of fond irritation. Remus is the only person he knows who can pull off both fondness and irritation at the same time. “Join me for some holiday cheer,” he said, bowing low and gesturing Remus to take a seat and the beautifully set table.
Sirius sat and Remus did indeed take the seat. He looked as if he thought his chair might explode or one of the legs fall out from under him. Sirius reflected that he couldn’t really blame him for his suspicion, but it did sting a bit when he’d put forth his best effort to seduce him.
Sirius poured wine into both of their cups. It was good wine and he was grateful for about a third of a second that he’d been brought up to be able to recognize the good stuff from plonk. Nothing but the best for the great seducing of Moony.
“Cheers,” Sirius said, taking a sip of the wine. He tilted his head back to best show off the collar — he had no idea if James was right about Moony, and he would murder him in his sleep if he was taking the piss, but it couldn’t hurt.
“Cheers,” Remus said, still with the tone of suspicion. So, Sirius gave him his best smile.
Remus’ gaze darted from the collar, to his mouth and his disarmingly charming crooked half-smile, to his eyes. Sirius began to worry that Remus was going to get motion sickness before he could kiss him.
“This feels like a…” Remus made a vague circling motion with his hands that ended in an awkward flutter. He looked moderately deranged and Sirius reflected that it was a good thing he was already smitten beyond hope. “I mean, the candles, the food, the decorations. It’s very nice, Padfoot.”
“I wanted you to have a nice Christmas, even though you’re not where you want to be,” said Sirius.
Remus looked around the room and back at Sirius. His gaze lingered on the collar a bit longer this time. “I’m where I want to be.”
Sirius moved his hand on the table so that he linked his little finger with Remus’, and then he held his breath until Remus smiled at his ham sandwich and curled his finger tighter around Sirius’.
“If you were about to say this feels like a date,” Sirius said. “So there’s no confusion, that’s what I was aiming for.”
“Oh,” Remus said, smiling again at what must be the best ham sandwich in Scotland. He looked up at Sirius, that pleased smile playing on his lip, and he moved his hand so it was covering Sirius’. “Good.”
Bubbles of giddiness percolated in Sirius’ chest. The distance from decorating and cake to that first kiss suddenly seemed not so far at all. “Good,” Sirius said.
Sirius reached for his wine and a flash of silver light made Sirius reach for his wand instead, as Remus leapt to his feet. A silver stag rushed into the room and said, it’s majestic head turning to them, “Padfoot, Moony, come now. The beach at the end of the high street.”
“I know exactly where it is,” said Remus. He Took Sirius’ arm and they Disapparated.
A bitter, icy wind blew off the sea. Sirius turned up his collar against the chill. “James. Lily,” he called, his voice being carried off on the wind.
“There they are,” Remus said. He grabbed Sirius’ arm again and Sirius reached to squeeze his fingers. Remus turned to look at him. “I am sorry our evening was interrupted, Padfoot.”
“Me too,” said Sirius. “Right.” And they jogged down the beach to where they’d seen the light of Lily’s wand.
“Good,” said James as they reached him and Lily. “It’s Peter. We were walking to dinner and Lily saw him, with two people. He should have been at his Mum’s by then.”
“We trailed them to the beach and they disappeared, there,” said Lily, pointing to a jetty that stretched out into the ocean. Waves crashed over it, sending freezing spray into the air.
Sirius righted his grip on his wand and he felt Remus tense next to him. Lily and James both wore the same fierce and intense expressions and Sirius had a moment of pity for whoever it was who had Peter. He hoped it was just some ordinary thugs, and not Death Eaters, but he wasn’t going to hold his breath.
Remus held up one hand and they all stilled. Softly, on the breeze, voices were carried to their ears. When he held his breath, Sirius could make out three different tones. Four against two then. Those were excellent odds.
Lily signaled that they should go around the far side of the jetty. The sand muffled their footsteps and the direction of the wind virtually guaranteed that no one would hear them coming.
They reached the jetty and crouched down.
“Tell us what the hell you and your disgusting so-called friends are doing here,” said a posh and nasal voice that sounded disturbingly familiar to Sirius. “Or they’ll find you in bits.”
“H-h-h-holiday,” stammered Peter’s shaking voice.
“Bollocks,” said another, rougher, deeper voice. “You following us, P-p-p-pettigrew?”
Peter whimpered and that was clearly enough for James because he vaulted onto the jetty and pointed his wand. The rest of them were a split second behind him. Malfoy and Rosier both did fine impressions of codfish that would have been funny if Peter’s terrified face wasn’t also staring up at him.
They, on the jetty, and Malfoy and Rosier below all moved for their wands, but that slight advantage of surprise worked for them. “Incarcerous,” was shouted in four voices before Malfoy and Rosier got off their hexes. The resulting ropes made the two arseholes look like mummies. Their wands fell with soft thuds into the sand.
The four of them leapt from the jetty and faced Rosier and Malfoy, wands trained at their chests.
“What fine company you keep now, Black. You and your motley crew going to kill me?” Lucius asked, staring at Sirius with such a smarmy sneer on his face that Sirius was tempted to kill him.
“If we planned to kill you, you’d be dead,” Remus said, taking a step toward Lucius. Lucius flinched and Sirius laughed out loud.
“Are you hurt, Peter?” James asked.
Sirius glanced at him and saw that he had a small trickle of blood coming from his nose. “I tink by dose id brok’ed,” Peter said, his voice shaking.
“I’ll go and get the Aurors,” said Lily. “Keep them here, and don’t break their noses for them.”
“Sensible little Mudblood,” sneered Rosier.
“Shut your idiot mouth,” growled Lucius, as Sirius, James, and Remus all took another step closer and raised their wands again.
“Listen to your pretty little friend here,” said Lily. “Or I’ll rethink my plan and let the three of them do whatever they want to you.”
“I’m knackered,” Lily said, very decisively even for her, the moment they stepped into the inn. “Bed.”
The Aurors had come and taken Malfoy and Rosier back to London for questioning on a charge of assault. Peter would be expected to appear as a witness at some point, but given the solicitors at Malfoy’s disposal, probably nothing would happen to them.
“Yeah, we’ll finish up the first draft of the map and get the hell out of here first thing tomorrow,” said James.
Peter stood looking utterly miserable, and Sirius was sure it was taking every ounce of his strength not to shake. It was truly the last thing in the world he wanted to do, but he caught Remus’ eye and Remus nodded.
“Wormtail,” Sirius said. “You bunk in here with Moony. Don’t think it’s fair for you to be alone in a room far from anyone tonight.”
“Yeah, I’ll sleep with one eye open and my wand in my hand,” said Remus, clapping his hand on Peter’s shoulder.
Sirius thought that Peter might just dissolve into a puddle on the floor. “If…if you think that’s best,” said Peter. “I’d be fine with it.”
“I think we’d all sleep better,” said James. “Thanks, lads.” The final approval from James was all it took for Peter to gain back the inch in height he seemed to have lost over the evening.
“And I get a room to myself,” Sirius said. “Looks like I win here.” He tried to infuse that last with every bit of irony he felt. The idea that Narcissa’s idiot boyfriend had ruined his plans for the best Christmas Eve ever really, really was a bitter potion.
Sirius sat bolt upright in bed, his wand already in his hand.
“Christ, it’s me,” Remus said, sounding startled.
“Bloody hell, Moony.” Sirius took a deep breath and willed his heart rate to return to normal. He slowly put his wand back on the bedside table. “Not exactly the night to be sneaking up on a bloke.”
“I could go if you’d like,” said Remus, not making any move at all to go.
The light from a street lamp streamed in to the room, illuminating Remus standing in the middle of the floor in his nightshirt and bare feet, wearing a silly grin. Something about the bare feet made Sirius want to pull him into bed and wrap his arms around him.
“What are you doing out of bed?” Sirius asked. “I thought you were sleeping with one eye open.”
“But you see, I have both of them open now,” Remus said. “I put a charm on the door and the windows in the other room. If anyone touches either of them, I’ll know.”
“Oh,” Sirius said. “And you decided to use your considerable charms talents and your current wakefulness to pay me a visit?”
“That was some very fine scheming you did earlier, Padfoot,” Remus said. He sat down on the edge of the bed, and as many times as they’d been in and on a bed together, this felt different. “I figured such a plan deserved to be resurrected.”
“You always were brilliant at helping my plans along.”
“I have a plan of my own,” said Remus.
He leaned closer. His hand touched the side of Sirius’ hip and his cheek brushed, warm and soft, against Sirius’.
“I think I like your plan, Moony,” murmured Sirius.
He turned his head and pressed his lips against Remus’. Remus kissed him back, hot and firm, tangling his fingers in Sirius’ hair. Sirius’ felt the kiss to his toes as he pulled Remus tight against him, pressing their warm bodies against each other. He could feel Remus’ heart racing and chest heaving. The accumulated desire of years rushed through his body and he had to pull away to breathe, to slow down, to notice every touch of lips, brush of fingers, and slide of tongue.
“Come here,” he said, pulling at Remus until he was on the bed with him.
Remus stretched out next to him, his lanky body touching Sirius’ from knees to chest. Remus propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at Sirius. Sirius felt like he could melt from the heat of Remus’ gaze. “Fuck, but you’re beautiful,” Remus said, and Sirius had been told that more times than he could count, but it never meant anything to him before.
Sirius wrapped his arm around Remus. “You feel really good,” Sirius said, smoothing his hand down Remus’ back and letting it come to rest where the dip of his spine began to curve to his arse.
Remus’ fingers traced the side of Sirius’ face, over his jaw, and around his throat. “Put the collar back on,” Remus whispered.
Sirius laughed softly, dizzy with happiness and wanting. “Accio collar,” Sirius said. It came flying out of the pile of his discarded clothes and into his hand. “You put it on for me,” he said, handing it to Remus.
Remus took it and ran the worn leather through his hands. He smoothed it around Sirius’ throat and lifted Sirius’ head to fasten the buckle. Sirius felt a slight bite of the leather into his sensitive skin as Remus tightened it and he gasped.
“Oh, sorry,” Remus said quickly. “Too tight?”
“God, no. Just right,” Sirius said, feeling himself flush. “I like it.”
“I really like it.” Remus rolled closer and Sirius felt him hard against his thigh. “Is this okay?” Remus asked as he pushed aside the blankets and moved to lie on top of Sirius.
“Yes,” Sirius said. He was only wearing pyjama bottoms and he thought for a moment that he must look ridiculous in stripy pyjama bottoms, a dog collar, and a rather evident erection, but the look on Remus’ face told him he needn’t worry.
Remus rolled his body and Sirius gasped as their hips connected.
“I can’t believe you want this too,” Remus said, rocking against Sirius again.
Sirius’ answer that, of course he did, and if Remus only knew how many nights he’d lain awake aching for Remus, was cut off by Remus’ hot mouth. So, Sirius poured every bit of longing and desire he’d ever had into the kiss. They moved together, tasting each others’ mouths, and rocking faster and harder until they were both gasping into the kiss, hips stuttering frantically against each other.
Remus collapsed onto Sirius, his face burrowed into the crook of Sirius’ neck. He was still and quiet and for a moment, Sirius was afraid that Remus regretted what they’d done.
“Moony?” Sirius asked quietly, wrapping his arms around Remus to keep the heavy, comforting weight of Remus on top of him.
Remus kissed Sirius’ neck, right above the collar. Sirius let out a quick breath when Remus’ teeth pulled lightly at it. “Did I mention that I really, really like it when you wear this?”
“Duly noted,” said Sirius.
“Sirius?” Remus asked, kissing Sirius’ jaw.
“Yeah?”
“Happy Christmas.”
Reporting back to Dumbledore and the Aurors, finishing the map, and helping Peter to face Malfoy and Rosier all waited for them. But for now, the cold breeze off the sea buffeted the windows of the warm little room, and Remus, flushed and sticky and looking oh-so-willing, was in bed with him. There were hours yet until morning.
“Happy Christmas, Moony.”
no subject
Date: 2019-01-07 04:38 am (UTC)I like the whole idea of young-adult James and Sirius and Peter and Remus as map-makers, too. Of course Dumbledore knew.
“I can’t believe you want this too,” Remus said
...young love in seven words or less. Perfect. Enjoyed! M.
ETA: Sorry, commenting again with my own ID.
no subject
Date: 2019-01-08 05:44 am (UTC)Aw, young love indeed!! :) Thank you!!
no subject
Date: 2019-01-07 06:06 am (UTC)I love that Remus was familiar with the town, which added this whole foundation to how he, and as a result, Sirius experienced it. Sirius's contemplations and then painstaking actions were just so perfect, and I love that Remus was the one to initiate in the end--I love how their dynamic is able to oscillate like that.
The attention to their group dynamic with Lily's addition, and how they were all re-negotiating their positions was so thoughtful, and I absolutely adored the details about the practicalities of what it would take to construct that sort of map, from Remus's photographic memory (!!) to research. also omg the collar fixation was A++++
This was such a delight to read, thank you so much!!
no subject
Date: 2019-01-08 05:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-07 09:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-08 05:34 am (UTC)(ETA—sorry, hit post before I meant to :))
no subject
Date: 2019-01-10 02:42 am (UTC)Sirius felt an uncomfortable mix of embarrassment and hope, with a spike of desire and anticipation. It seemed rather a lot of feelings to be having at once. “Arse,” he said to James, and immediately felt better.
♥
This was a delight!
no subject
Date: 2019-01-13 03:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-10 04:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-13 03:56 am (UTC)