[identity profile] captainpookey.livejournal.com posting in [community profile] small_gifts
Title: Dear Remus…
Author: [livejournal.com profile] captainpookey
Written for: [livejournal.com profile] crypticmadness. Hope you like it! :]
Rating: PG-13 – character death and minor cursing/sexual situations
Prompt: "Angsty!Remus finding comfort in Tonks after Sirius dies" and "No looking back, no second chances".
Summary: When a letter from the dead Sirius turns up in a place Remus would least expect it to—a teacup—he can’t help but feel tormented by memories of the past and the present.
Any other notes, warnings, etc.: For those of you who don’t like Tonks, or can’t stand slight Remus/Tonks, well, you’ve been warned. But it’s definitely a Remus/Sirius piece. Many thanks to [livejournal.com profile] fullmoon_dreams for her terrific, last-minute beta’ing. This was so much fun to do, and thanks mods for hosting this event.



It was in a teacup, of all places. A teacup.

He stared at the tiny corner of folded parchment in his palm, his mind reeling. Dear Remus it said in that familiar scratchy cursive. His forefinger traced the edges of the faded inkblot that obscured the “u” and the “s” of his name. “Dear Remus,” he whispered, swallowing hard.

“—Remus?”

His back straightened immediately and his whitened hand released the counter he hadn’t realized he’d been gripping so tightly. He managed to tuck the note into the folds of his robe just as a small, warm arm wrapped around his shoulder. “What happened?” Nymphadora asked, kissing his cheekbone and frowning at him. “I heard a crash.”

He felt miles away from his body, but he forced a soft smile and a shrug. “Slipped out of my hand.” His crushed the note into his palm within his pocket. He drew his wand out with his other hand and quickly swept away the shards of the shattered mug. In truth, he’d been so surprised by the note he’d dropped the cup.

“Are you hurt?”

“Not at all.”

“Good,” she leaned up for a kiss before grinning at him, “In that case, come help me pack up your sweaters. It won’t do to move in together and find you’ve broken all our kitchenware.”

He lingered at the counter as she drifted off to his bedroom, humming a cheery, out-of-place holiday tune. After a quick glance over his shoulder he plucked the parchment from his pocket once more and held it to his lips.

He didn’t need to guess to know when Sirius had written it, but why?


- - - - -


“Dora?” he asked quietly that evening, stroking pink hair out of her forehead as they lay in bed together. When she didn’t respond, save for a wordless, dream-induced murmur into his side, he deemed it safe to work his arm out from under hers in order to reach into his bedside stand to find the note again.

Silhouetted in the feeble light from his window, it cast a long shadow across his chest. He could just make out the darkness of the words on the front. He read those three tiny syllables over and over to himself, until he could almost will Sirius to reach across fate and time to whisper them into his ear. He stared at the note for a long time, ultimately falling asleep with the paper grasped tightly to his chest.

His mind brought him back to a stone stadium with a lone archway in the center. People yelled and shouted; colorful spells ricocheted off the stone benches and floor, one nearly striking his arm. He held just the square of parchment and his wand. His muscles ached and sweat dampened his chest as he lunged away from a featureless Death Eater. Someone screamed in the background; a dozen unknown men dressed in black cloaks danced and bound across the room with snarls and grunts. A man with shaggy hair and laughing grey eyes clapped Remus on the back with a wide smile that crinkled the skin in the corners of his eyes as he gracefully, powerfully leapt onto the pedestal that held the arch.

Sirius!” Remus cried. He tried to follow the man, but Sirius and the Death Eaters moved a thousand times faster than he ever could. They advanced with the fluidity of water, while he shambled along behind them. He had barely made it to the arch when Sirius was propelled backwards by a spell he had overlooked, but that Remus had seen from the moment it crackled into existence. Thin tendrils of death reached out from the curtain to envelop first Sirius’s arms, then his chest, slowly obscuring his face and his profile as he descended backwards.

Remus’s voice raged out from his throat, but he was secured in place by the grasp of the Death Eaters. Where they came from, he didn’t know, but they held his hands, his arms, his shoulders, his legs. He couldn’t move a muscle away from his side, but Sirius was within an arm’s length of his face. If he could just reach out he could grab him, could pull him back from the darkness and into his ready hold forever. He could feel Sirius’s ragged breath on his face as he fell.

Remus screamed and screamed, thrashing in the hold of his captors until his head went numb and his every muscle burned from the effort. Sirius disappeared into the whispering curtain and Remus fell to his knees hard on the floor.

The last thing Remus remembered before he woke up was the parchment in his hand bursting into red, hot flame, taking the Death Eaters with it. He was still screaming, tears streaming down his face, but this time all he saw was fire as tall as the vaulted ceiling and the horrible, twisted expression of surprise and fear that Sirius’s specter had left him with.

- - - - -


“You’ve been quiet today,” Nymphadora said the following night as he disrobed for bed.

“I’m just tired from packing,” he commented, his back to her. He quickly transferred the note from his robe to the waistband of his flannels.

She didn’t speak again until he’d climbed into bed beside her and shut the light off. She folded an arm around his waist and laid her head on his chest. “Are you sure it wasn’t your dream?” she whispered.

He tensed. “I didn’t know you knew about that.”

“Remus... you were screaming last night. I didn’t want to say anything, but...”

He stared at the ceiling and focused on the scratchy feeling of the paper against his stomach so that he wouldn’t have to recognize the guilt, confusion and pain that suddenly filled his chest.

“What was your dream about?”

“Sirius.”


They fell asleep with their backs to one another.

Remus dozed restlessly in a haze of memories — stolen kisses sometimes, barking laughter others, and still at some moments his mind was plagued by that surprised, fearful expression. He found himself lying awake in the early hours of the morning that were neither here nor there, enraptured by a particular memory… Sirius climbing out of Remus’s hearth with that goofy, happy-go-lucky expression on his face. But shadows lurked in the creases of his skin.

“What are you doing here? You should be home.” Remus stood from his chair quickly.

“Home?” Sirius threw back his head and laughed. “That place is as much home to me as it is to Severus-bloody-Snape. It’s killing me to be cooped up there like some ridiculous pet. ‘Watch Sirius gripe, watch Sirius stalk, watch Sirius wag his tail’,” he scoffed.

“This is no laughing matter, Sirius. You’re not safe here.”

“Who’s going to find me? I came to see you. Just for a little bit — I needed to get away. Remus—” he begged, reaching out and grabbing Remus’s wrist before he could step away, “—Remus, I’m going insane.”

Remus sighed and pulled his hand away. “No.” He averted his eyes and backed away, out of Sirius’s grip. “You can’t be here. We can’t — We don’t know who’s listening or watching. This is dangerous. Do you think I want you to get caught again?”

“Do you think I want to get caught again?” he yelled, launching forward to grab Remus by both his arms and shake him firmly. “I don’t! But it’s damn well better than this rotten life! Let the Dementors suck out my soul for all I care! At this point, I might as well be living without one!”

Don’t say that.

“Why not, Moony? Why not?”

“Just... go, Sirius.” Remus backed out of his arms and turned quickly away.

“Not until you at least look at me.”

Remus’s back prickled under Sirius’s hard gaze. He stopped for a moment, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He couldn’t let this go on; it could cost both of them their lives. “Just leave. I don’t want you here, Sirius,” he snapped harshly. “You’ve deluded yourself into thinking I still care about you, but that was a different lifetime and things have changed. You haven’t been here and you couldn’t possibly claim to know me. Whatever you think you’re here for tonight, whatever you think you’re here to say, I don’t care. Get out of my living room.”

He slammed the door to his bedroom before Sirius could respond. His words still stung his lips and his eyes — he felt like he’d swallowed a bucket of blazing coals.


He hadn’t slept that night either, not until the house was dead quiet and the dampness of his pillow had begun to dry. He had heard Sirius silently shuffling through his front rooms, heard the faint scratching of a quill and, eventually, heard the soft whoosh of Floo Powder.

Three nights later and Sirius was dead, gone forever, left with ‘Get out of my living room’ as a final goodbye.


The sun streaming in through the barren window several hours later drew Remus back to the present.

He made love to Nymphadora in the soft dawn — gentle kisses and embraces and careful, hesitant I love you’s. He tried to hide his shame in the heat of her lips or skin, the smell of apple blossoms that lingered from her shampoo, but in the back of his mind he saw only shuddering flames as high as a vaulted ceiling and the words Dear Remus. She didn’t ask any questions when her fingers stumbled onto the small square of parchment.


- - - - -


He was afraid to open it.

He’d already had a full cup of tea and was halfway through a second. His hands shook in the darkness, illuminated only by a single candle placed in the middle of the table. His sweaty palms rested on the wood, the parchment staring up at him from the space between them. By now he could practically trace the letters with his eyes closed.

He was resolved to open it, eventually, he just hadn’t decided when — by morning, yes, of course, but there were plenty of hours and an abundance of tea to last until then.

He decided that, if anything, Dear Remus would stick with him. If the letter was full of hatred, bitterness, and disappointment — like Remus was positive that it was based on the circumstances of the writing — then he would force himself to remember the Dear Remus and pretend like it was not just a painstaking formality, but a loving endearment, as in, my dear, dear Remus. He was allowed one bit of whimsy.

How many hours passed between this ridiculous thought and the moment he actually reached forward and pulled the old note toward him, he couldn’t say. He unfolded crease number one and, for the first time, wondered why he hadn’t found the note until now. He undid the second crease and paused; it had been his favorite teacup before Sirius was imprisoned. He hadn’t used it for over fifteen years. The stupid, stupid man had assumed it was still Remus’s favorite, and had hidden the note there.

When Remus finally had the note unfolded, he calmed himself by watching the gentle light of the candle flutter through the shadows until his breathing had steadied and he could bring himself to read the words.


You can pretend not to care as much as you like. You can say you want me out of your flat, your life — it doesn’t matter, because I know it’s a lie.

We loved each other once; you can push me away, but that won’t change a bloody thing. We’ve lost time, but for some miraculous reason, Merlin-knows-why, we were given just a little bit more.

There’s no looking back, no second chances. Not from here.

I still love you.

And when you’re done being a total bleeding arse, I’ll be waiting.



It would take time, it would take effort, it would take a lot of forgiveness and reassurance on his own part, but eventually the gaping hole Sirius had left Remus with would mend into just another gnarled scar, cool to the touch.

A warm nose nuzzled into his neck when he collapsed into bed, followed shortly by Nymphadora’s cautious hand on his chest.

“What’d it say?”

“‘I forgive you’,” Remus answered with a smile.

He dreamed not of curtains or fire that night, but of a different ending. He dreamed of embracing the man who stepped into his life and out of his hearth. He dreamed of a moment that was neither memory nor fantasy, but ripe with truth and emotion. A man with a bright smile, who he would always love. Who had loved him.

And halfway between dream and reality, they met for a final, proper goodbye — for now. Because as one told the other, I’ll be waiting.


Date: 2008-12-05 03:50 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] leafyaki.livejournal.com
*whimpers* Ohhh. Nnnnnngh.

So beautiful it breaks my heart. When Remus dreamt, it was so real, I nearly forgot to breathe D: But the best part must be the end, the hope in it ;___;

Nnnnnngh.

Date: 2008-12-05 04:07 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] brighty18.livejournal.com
You made me cry, my dear. You absolutely made my cry.

I'll be waiting... oh... guh!

Honestly, though, you paint such a painful, poignant portrait of Remus' loss and guilt that it really resonates. Poor Remus. I suspect that he struggled with guilt all of his life and then.... this!

Sirius note was fabulous and so in-character. Of course he would be waiting...

Beautiful!

Date: 2008-12-05 05:03 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cackling-madly.livejournal.com
This is the second Remus-with-Tonks-but-still-loving-Sirius fic I've read today and I have to say it stands on its own. It's so moving and wonderfully written. The way Remus hides the letter, not daring to read it, torturing himself for days about it's contents is so heartbreaking, and, I think, so in character. He is so used to suffering, he doesn't think twice about prolonging his own agony. And the letter - so simple, honest, hopeful <3!

Date: 2008-12-05 05:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tourdefierce.livejournal.com
You've gone and made me cry.

Sirius, bah! So in character and Remus' misdirected anger... Really sad. But a wonderfully done piece.

Date: 2008-12-05 05:37 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mysecretashes.livejournal.com
I'm sobbing. Literally. So completely heartbreaking, especially how Remus knew Sirius forgave him for his hurtful words. And his dream afterwards...oh, my bleeding heart!

Beautiful.

Date: 2008-12-05 06:15 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] werewolfsfan.livejournal.com
I'm having difficulty commenting for my shaking hands and streaming eyes. Just know that I will always treasure your exquisite story.

Date: 2008-12-05 07:05 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hpaa.livejournal.com
Beautiful..very well written

Date: 2008-12-05 07:16 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rhye.livejournal.com
Baaaah! How heartbreaking, and also, heartmending? I love the complexity of Remus' relationship to Tonks in this most of all, and the quiet wisdom she shows. Thank you.

Date: 2008-12-05 07:57 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] roastchicken.livejournal.com
Ouch. Just...ouch. This is so painful and heartbreaking, but I love it.

Your way with words is amazing! The entire description of Sirius falling through the veil - thin tendrils of death is fantastic and haunting - and this:

Sirius disappeared into the whispering curtain and Remus fell to his knees hard on the floor.

I can just see that happening (in slow motion) in my head. Wonderful, wonderfully sad depiction of that horrible scene through poor Remus's eyes.

Other things I love: the memories of stolen kisses sometimes, barking laughter others; how Remus has to compulsively keep the note physically close to him; his heartbreaking last words to Sirius :(; the way you describe his sex with Tonks; Sirius still remembering which is Remus's favorite teacup after so many years; and just another gnarled scar. I wish it could be just that. So sad and lovely!
Edited Date: 2008-12-05 07:57 pm (UTC)

Date: 2008-12-05 08:20 pm (UTC)
woldy: (Default)
From: [personal profile] woldy
Ouch. The teacup makes perfect sense, such a cute gesture but it's sitting there like a landmine for years & Sirius might never have known that Remus hadn't read it already. Writing like this, I think, is the only way I can be made to accept Remus/Tonks.

Date: 2008-12-05 09:39 pm (UTC)
ext_76727: (Default)
From: [identity profile] remuslives23.livejournal.com
Ouch, ouch, ouch. My heart hurts! That was beautiful - I loved how reluctant he was to open the letter and clung onto the 'Dear Remus'. The letter itself was touching and so very 'Sirius', and the last words of your piece made the tears fall. You even managed to make the pink-haired one not quite as intolerable as she normally is. You're a genius!

Date: 2008-12-05 10:00 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] magnetic-pole.livejournal.com
Ah! *clutches heart* The tragedy! What a lovely, lovely fic. Enjoyed! Maggie

Date: 2008-12-05 10:05 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] laroseminuit.livejournal.com
I'm getting more use out of my R/T icon today than in the last year, I think.

I have to agree with planetgal471, this was heart-breaking and heart-mending at the same time. I don't know whether to cry or to be uplifted. I think I shall do both.

I love your Tonks. I actually like her, so it's nice to see her as not so shallow.

Date: 2008-12-06 02:21 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] betta329.livejournal.com
That was gorgeous. So heart wrenching on so many levels. Excellent job.

Date: 2008-12-06 02:59 am (UTC)
ext_65977: (Default)
From: [identity profile] venturous1.livejournal.com
awww, **hearts**
I am just warming to RL/SB, getting to know them, really. this is touching.

Date: 2008-12-06 04:11 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] secretsolitaire.livejournal.com
*sniffles* Gorgeous, heartbreaking fic.

Date: 2008-12-06 05:32 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mindabbles.livejournal.com
Oh, ouch. This was really well done and heart breaking. These two can do such good angst and you nailed it--and in a creative way.

Date: 2008-12-06 06:03 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] peskywhistpaw.livejournal.com
And when you’re done being a total bleeding arse, I’ll be waiting.

*wibbles* AND THEN HE GOES AND DIIIIEEESS. D:

This is so sad, but so good, Paula! I can see why everyone's been crying, haha. I love how you didn't put the actual contents of the note till the end... and how you made Remus/Tonks work as well. Loverly work! :D

Date: 2008-12-06 11:23 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lovelylytton.livejournal.com
So sad... *sniffles*
And when you’re done being a total bleeding arse, I’ll be waiting.



That one made me smile though, I love the change of tone in the letter.

Date: 2008-12-06 11:41 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] molsymo.livejournal.com
Oh, oh, oh. Heartbreaking. The last line is lovely.

Date: 2008-12-06 06:25 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] minnow-53.livejournal.com
A lovely use of the prompt! :) And very touching all round.

Date: 2008-12-06 10:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lyras.livejournal.com
This is a lovely piece. I was wary at the beginning, because so often in R/S stories Tonks is treated like some kind of inhuman obstacle, but I liked the way you portrayed her relationship with Remus. It's obvious that she does indeed comfort him, and that somehow there is room for both her and Sirius in Remus's emotional life.

And of course, the parts with Sirius were lovely - very vivid and heartbreaking. His letter was fantastic; I could hear him saying the words!

Date: 2008-12-07 04:04 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cindergal.livejournal.com
Really lovely. I like Tonks, so I'm happy to see a fic where she is treated fairly. And Remus and Sirius are so heartbreaking, yet there is still hope and forgiveness. ::sniff::

Date: 2008-12-08 09:20 pm (UTC)
ext_33367: (ballons)
From: [identity profile] hollydoodle19.livejournal.com
oh my stars. This was heartbreaking and beautiful and hopeful. Remus was just right, always punishing and blaming himself and I loved that way you treated Tonks. That you allowed Remus to love both her and Sirius equally and that she was not some sort of second rate consolation prize, she was wonderfully understanding here.

Date: 2008-12-09 01:19 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sambethe.livejournal.com
Oh, *sigh*.

Date: 2008-12-12 07:13 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mcmuffins-js.livejournal.com
Ohhhh, you broke me! Lord this is bittersweet and lovely... Oh, poor Remus :/

Date: 2008-12-15 01:15 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] crypticmadness.livejournal.com
Oh, I didn't mean to be the last person to comment on this. D:
But this was just lovely.
It's so painful that Sirius was waiting and then Remus didn't realize it soon enough, but it's not overly angsty because of the resolved ending.

He was still screaming, tears streaming down his face, but this time all he saw was fire as tall as the vaulted ceiling and the horrible, twisted expression of surprise and fear that Sirius’s specter had left him with.
*loves on you*

♥♥

Date: 2008-12-22 06:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] blackliquorice.livejournal.com
It's sweet, the way Sirius knew which teacup had been Remus' favourite. And I think it says a lot about Sirius, the way it never even occurred to him that it may have changed.

Date: 2008-12-29 07:16 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] a_shadow_there.livejournal.com
Oh my goodness, I think you just broke me. Utterly heartbreaking. Aching and beautiful and incredibly moving. The description of Sirius' fall through the veil is wonderful.

And this:
It would take time, it would take effort, it would take a lot of forgiveness and reassurance on his own part, but eventually the gaping hole Sirius had left Remus with would mend into just another gnarled scar, cool to the touch is great.

xxx

Date: 2009-07-09 05:36 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tiger-flame.livejournal.com
*waves hand in front of face*

I will not cry...

*whimpers* oh so sad...

SO well done so, so well done!!

*faves*

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