Ten Stories
Introduction to the Concept:
I felt guilty about the sad nature of The Letter, so I decided to make it up to my readers by doing a challenge. The challenge is to put one's iPod on shuffle and use ten songs as prompts for ten stories. So here they are, my ten prompts:
Blue Sky by The Allman Brothers Band
Blue Boy by Orange Juice
Something by The Beatles
The Guns of Brixton by The Clash
When You Were Young by The Killers
The Ballad of Danny Bailey by Elton John
In the Morning by Norah Jones
Wonderwall by Oasis
Deep Inside of You by Third Eye Blind
and
The Refugee by U2
Enjoy.
Blue Sky
You're my blue sky, you're my sunny day.
Oh, lord it makes me high when you turn your love my way,
Turn your love my way, yeah.
--The Allman Brothers Band
It was a gray morning. Tendrils of pink rose over the horizon like the rosy fingers of a child. A light sheen of rain sprinkled across the Hogwarts grounds, casting everything in a murky gray light despite the sun's valiant effort to raze over the clouds.
Sirius sat outside in the rain, tears mingling with the ran that fell along his jaw. He took a deep breath in, trying to steady himself. It wasn't the end of the world. He'd always known his parents hated him almost as much as they hated blood-traitors. In their eyes, he was a blood-traitor. There was no need to spill tears over something as slight as a nasty letter from home. In fact, it was almost blasphemous to cry over their words. Traitorous.
He felt more tears brimming in his eyes, this time out of self-loathing. He shouldn't cry over something that he'd promised himself he didn't care about.
I don't care. He told himself firmly. I honestly could care less if those bastards despise me. I don't care, I don't care...
But he did care. He hadn't intended for them to ever find out about him and Remus, he knew that the consequences of his homosexuality would be dire...for him as well as Remus. So it'd been his plan to keep their romance a secret until he was finally rid of his family. Then, he'd let himself rub it in their faces. Flaunt his affection for Remus and show them how happy he was with him. How much better off he was.
Regulus had ruined that plan.
He'd seen Remus and Sirius kissing in the hallway after hours, and of course the little brute had told their parents. The letter that had followed had been, well, vulgar to say the least.
Sirius Black,
I will not waste a Howler on such an impertinent, lowly, unmitigated fool such as yourself. You are to rid yourself of this mudblooded faggot immediately. Your brother tells me he is your dormmate. I will remedy this issue immediately with your Headmaster. You are not to speak to this disgusting little slut again. No excuses. The whore is obviously only trying to pleasure itself using you as a vessel. It is not fit to lick the bottom of your boots, nonetheless find itself bedding with the boots' occupant. That is not to say you are worthy of anything, you bloody faggot. When you return to this household this summer, you will not escape any consequences for your loathesome choices. This is not acceptable. You are to marry a pureblood woman may I remind you. You are not to mention this to your father, understood? Good.
Never forget that although you may be a Gryffindor, you are a Black first. You can escape your obligations, but you cannot escape your blood.
There was more, but Sirius couldn't bring himself to read it.
Sirius crumpled up his mother's note to him and threw it across the lawn. "I hate you, you hear me?" he screamed so loudly his throat ached, but the wind picked up his voice and carried it away. "I hate you!"
"Sirius?"
Sirius whipped around, striking whoever had come up behind him with the back of his hand. "What the fu--Oh, Remus. Oh, oh! I am so sorry. Did I hurt you?"
Remus didn't even flinch. "No, of course not. I'm fine. Are you alright?" His cheek was turning a nasty red in the shape of Sirius' hand.
With a nod, Sirius tried to compose himself, but failed miserably. He collasped into Remus' chest.
"I--I...they...what they called me...what they called you...I'll never. Oh, god, Remus..."
Remus ran comforting circles around Sirius' back. "Shh, love. Shh, it's alright. It's going to be alright."
"They said I was disgusting. That I wasn't fit to be a Black."
"They don't deserve you, Sirius. You know that."
"They said you were a slut."
"Have I ever slept with anyone but you?"
"They said you didn't love me."
"What do they know?"
"They said that you were just with me to sleep with me."
"I'm with you because I love you."
"They said--"
"Love, you know they're wrong. They're idiots, and you don't ever have to believe them. Because they aren't ever right. Remember that."
"But...I'm one of them."
"No, you aren't. You know how I know that?"
"How?" Sirius' voice was vulnerable, hurt.
"Because every morning, my heart aches until I see you. Your face is my sunrise, your smile my light. I love you."
"But..."
Remus kissed him slowly, gently. His healing kiss. He carded his hands through Sirius' hair and murmured softly into his ear once he'd broken away from him. "But nothing. They are nothing compared to you."
Sirius held Remus tightly to him, never wanting to let go. "Remus?" he asked weakly.
"What, darling?"
With Remus he felt warm, safe. Happy. With Remus, the world was beautiful and the sky was blue. Everything was perfect when Remus' love touched him. Everything. "You're my blue sky. Never go away."
"Sirius, you're my everything. I couldn't leave you. I'd never want to."
The sun shifted behind the clouds.