hey, peeps, it's me with a new story. it's a chapter story. here's the thing though - i have absolutely no clue where it's going. so i got like a couple of scenes planned and a vague direction of an arc, but no semblance of an ending so for once in my life, i am one hundred percent open to suggestions or anything you might like to see. so let me know what you think and what you want and hopefully i'll figure it out soon.
It started at a party, like most of Sirius' stories did. He remembered seeing him, sitting there on the couch, huddled up next to the armrest like he was trying to take up the least amount of space possible.
Come to think of it, Sirius had never seen him during the daytime. Almost like he was - oh, what was the word - nocturnal. But better still, the tight ass was reading. The Clash was playing, everyone was dancing, there was a keg in the other room and this git was engrossed in a dusty old book. I was almost disgusting to watch. "Oi! Book boy!" Sirius shouted across the room, taking the last swig of his beer, then crossing the distance between him and the couch. "What the hell, mate?"
Book boy looked up, startled, then wary. "Sorry did I do something?" In one swift move, Sirius swiped the book from his hands, holding it high above his head. Well, that got book boy riled up. Sirius was grateful for his height, then, because he was able to hold the book just out of reach. "What was that for?" Book boy said, standing on his tiptoes in a feeble attempt to snatch the book back.
"You're at a party and you're reading a book," Sirius stated, obviously.
"And I'd quite like to keep reading it, so if you'd - if you'd just -"
"Why'd you come?"
"Why do you care?" Book boy asked. Sirius blinked, impressed. He could hold his own more than expected. Sirius cocked his head, sizing him up.
"Because it's my party and I wanna make sure all of my guests are having a good time," Sirius said, making sure they both knew he didn't mean it.
Book boy looked down and back up at Sirius, clearly making an effort to keep his cool. "Look, can you - can you just - ?" He started, but Sirius thrusted the book out of reach again, and that was enough to cause it to tumble out of his hands and onto the ground where the group of dancers that Sirius' back was smushed against were. Almost like in slow motion, Sirius watched a foot of a dancer step on half of the book and tear the flimsy thing in two.
Book boy dove for it, holding the two useless halves in his hands, his mouth open in shock. Sirius made sure his face didn't give up his guilt. Finally, he regained his senses.
"That's a library copy!" His eyes flashed with anger. "I'll have to pay!" Sirius groaned, digging into his wallet and pressing a fifty into book boy's hand. "I don't need this much."
"Keep it. Might as well be a quarter to me." This only seemed to anger book boy more, but he shoved it deep into his pocket, then pulled out a phone.
"I'm gonna call my roommate."
"Who's your roommate?" Sirius asked him, yelling over the loud music. And then, as if on cue, James - clearly drunk - sloppily slung his arm around Sirius' neck. "Sirus! You've met my roommate, Remus!"
-::-::-::-::-::-::-
It wasn't until an hour after that things really got started. "The dean's coming!" Frantic shouts rippled through the crowd, and Sirius rolled his eyes taking another swig of beer. Within two minutes, the entire place was cleared. Dean Russell had recently made a rule about parties - his, in particular.
"Hey, Sirius, you coming?" James poked his head through the door. Sirius look around, letting out a low whistle. Red solo cups and crumpled beer cans littered the floor.
"Go," he told James. James rolled his eyes, grinning.
"Your funeral, mate." Sirius scooped up the discarded napkins and threw them into the trash can. He heard the door creak open.
"Well, Dean, you sure know how to kill a party." He didn't even turn around. He didn't have to. He could imagine her, face beet red with frustration.
"My office, Mr. Black."
"At two in the morning?"
"At two in the morning."
-::-::-::-::-::-::-
"You can't carry on like this. With any other student, they would've been long since expelled. But considering your parents' generous donations," Dean Russell trailed off, rubbing her forefingers into her temple, closing her eyes.
"So do it, then," he said, daring her to finally pull the trigger and do the one thing that would piss his parents off most. But of course she wouldn't. She never would.
"I don't understand. I know you're smart. Your entrance tests have proven that. And yet, you're insistent on throwing it all away for a 'good time,'" she sneered. It's more than that, Sirius wanted to say, but he kept his mouth shut. "I was going to bring this up at our upcoming meeting that you were undoubtedly going to skip, but I assume you're aware that you're failing four classes?"
Sirius laughed, low and easy. "Wow, I didn't realize it was that many. Good on me."
"I've arranged you a tutor."
"Do you honestly expect me to go?"
"Yes. I do. Because if you don't I'll revoke your right to live off campus." Instantly, the smile slid off Sirius' face. "That would mean no more parties."
"I know what it means," Sirius said, sullenly. Dean Russell nodded and then sighed.
"Mr. Lupin, would you come in, please?" And then, oh, of course, just Sirius' bloody luck, in walked book boy. He was different than he'd been at the party, all sulky and silent. Now he was smiling, warmly, reaching out to shake Dean Russell's hand.
"Oh, perfect. Why does it have to be him?"
"Because," Dean Russell said, icily, "he's the only one who didn't want to. And so, he's the only one who can be trusted to take this seriously. It seems you are a very popular young gentleman, Mr. Black." Sirius didn't respond. She wasn't messing around this time. "You're to meet every night from nine to half past eleven. Non-negotiable." Sirius' jaw tightened. He gave a sharp nod.
"Sirius, is it?" Book boy again. "I'm Remus." He extended his hand.
Now, Sirius couldn't have known that this was the night everything would start. That this moment, right there and then, would solidify the path they were rapidly heading down, would set into motion everything that was to come. In the time following, Sirius would have days where he'd feel like he was flying, soaring high above his parents' grasp, above everything trying to anchor him to them and then days when the sadness creeped into his heart so severely and unexpectedly that it left him paralyzed, struggling for air and grasping for him to pull him through. All of that was to come. But Sirius didn't know it yet.
And though Remus was nothing but respectful in front of the Dean, and the smile didn't slide off of his face for one moment, looking into his eyes, there was a glint of something at first unrecognizable to Sirius, something he hadn't encountered for a long time. A challenge. Oh, Sirius thought, oh, this is going to be interesting.