Subject: DADA
Task: Write about a character who seems to be pushed around or walked over a lot.
Writing Club: Chef AU
Chocolate Frog: Bronze - Balfour Blane - Challenge - The main character in your story is in a position of authority.
Shipping Wars: Remus/Sirius
Word Count: 1367
Can't Say No
Sirius whistled quietly to himself as ambled down the corridor, searching for room 101 where he would be teaching a night class to budding chefs.
As he turned a corner, he happened upon a couple of people talking. He stopped whistling, and made his way over to them, hoping they would be able to point him in the right direction.
When he got closer to them, he overheard some of their conversation.
"Did you get the money, Peter?" the female asked.
"No," Peter lamented. "Father says he won't give me anymore; he said, and I quote that I should: 'go and get a job because he is not going to fund my frivolities any longer.' I don't know what I'm going to do."
"Ask Remus," the girl suggested. "You know he's loaded and he never says no. He's such a pushover."
"You're a genius, Em!" the boy exclaimed, kissing her on the cheek before taking her hand and strolling off down the corridor.
Sirius furrowed his eyebrows. These two didn't seem like a pair of very kind people. In fact, to him, they seemed like nothing more than a pair of users, and unfortunately they were a type he was all too familiar with. He wondered who this Remus was and whether he knew what they were like. Surely he must, but just in case he made a mental note to inquire about this Remus at the office. He didn't know what it was, but he had this urge to help this unknown man.
Shaking off the feeling, Sirius carried on along the corridor hoping that his feet would carry him to the right place.
~o~o~o~
15 minutes later, after taking a wrong turn twice, Sirius found himself at the door to room 101.
He opened the door and made his way over to his desk.
"Sorry I'm late, class," he said, setting his briefcase down and turning to face his students. "I took a few wrong turns on my way here. My name is Sirius Black, and I will be your culinary skills teacher for the foreseeable future whilst your usual instructor, Lily Potter, is away on maternity leave."
He scanned his class, and noticed that most were maturer students around the same age as himself. And right at the back, he saw the two people he had seen earlier with smug grins on their faces. It would seem that Remus had given into them, and his intuition told him that she was the brunette man sat at the table across from them.
Sirius began to teach his class, carefully explaining the process of making a simple apple crumble from scratch. And after ensuring they were all clear on the process, he let them loose in the kitchen to find their ingredients.
He observed them from the front of the classroom whilst they did the preparation as he had instructed them to as he tried to gauge their general ability level. Every so often, more frequently that Sirius was willing to admit, his eyes drifted over to Remus and he found that he was staring at him for longer that it was appropriate to given the student/teacher dynamic between them.
About half an hour into the task he had set, Sirius noticed the two students from earlier, Peter and Em, crowding around Remus. Curious as to what was going on, Sirius made his way up to the table, and paused a few steps away from them.
"Hey, Remus," the girl said quietly.
"Yeah," Remus asked, placing his tools down and looking up from what he was doing. "Is there something I can help you with?"
Sirius felt his mouth go dry. Not only was the man utterly gorgeous, he had the voice to match.
"There is," the girl said, sighing, "I kind of forgot to get some brown sugar from the cupboards and there isn't any there now. Do you think I could have yours? I can't afford to fail this class."
Sirius noticed the uncertainty cross Remus' face.
"I haven't used mine yet; you can have whatever's left though when I have," Remus rushed out.
"Remus, did you hear Em?" the boy questioned. "She can't afford to fail this class, and neither can I. Come on, mate, do us a solid."
"Okay," Remus sighed, handing over the bowl of brown sugar that had been carefully weighed out moments ago.
"Thanks, Remus," the girl said, returning to her table.
Sirius eyes followed her, and he noticed the broad grin on her face. It also did not escape his notice as he scanned the table that they already had nearly a full bag of brown sugar.
Not wanting to see this man get a poor score for his apple crumble because of those two, Sirius walked over to their table and picked up the bag of brown sugar and placed it in front of Remus.
Remus looked up from his bowl and muttered, "Thank you," before returning to his task.
Sirius continued to pace around the classroom, feeling satisfied that it appeared as though the majority of his students had the basic skills mastered, not that he expected any less from a class taught by one of his best friends.
Time progressed too quickly for Sirius' liking, and all too soon his new students were taking their apple crumbles out of the oven and placing them onto the countertop for him to observe, taste and grade.
All the dishes were simply superb, but the one that really stood out for him was the one prepared by Remus, and he made sure to say it loudly. The apple crumble he had prepared was heavenly, and Sirius found it difficult to stop and just one bite.
"Well that's a wrap for tonight," Sirius said once he had finished scoring all the dishes. "So I'll see you at the same time next week."
"Remus could I have a word please?" Sirius requested as the brunette man passed by.
"Of course," Remus answered, pausing by the desk. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact," Sirius said, leaning against the desk. "You can explain to me why you let those two idiots, Em and Peter, walk all over you. Three times this lesson they asked you for ingredients they already had, and three times you handed them over. Not to mention the money Peter asked you for."
"How do you know about that?" Remus asked.
"They were talking about it rather loudly in the corridor when I was on my way here," Sirius informed him. "I believe Em's exact words were something along the lines of 'Ask Remus, he's loaded and never says no.' and from what I observed tonight, I can understand how they got that impression."
"I can say no," Remus muttered.
"Remus, can I borrow £20?" Sirius asked. "I have a few things I need to get on my way home and I left my wallet at home."
"Sure you can," Remus answered, reaching into his pocket for his wallet.
"Ad that is exactly what I mean," Sirius said, showing Remus his wallet. "You have to learn to say no, otherwise the likes of Em and Peter are going to walk all over you and take advantage."
"How do you propose I do that?" Remus asked, realising that Sirius was correct.
"How about we go over some techniques over a drink?" Sirius suggested.
"Are you asking me out on a date, Mr Black?" Remus questioned, hoping he wasn't misreading the signals.
"I don't know; would you say yes if I was?" Sirius asked.
"You know I find it difficult to say no," Remus said. "And, just between you and I, I never say no to a sexy man."
"You think I'm sexy?" Sirius said, waggling his eyebrows.
"You'll have to buy me a drink before you get the answer to that," Remus told him, making his way towards the door. "So, where are you taking me?"
"I was thinking the pub around the corner," Sirius replied, taking his coat off the back of his chair and shrugging it on. "Is that okay?"
"It's perfect," Remus answered. "And no, I'm not just saying that."
