Written for:
Quidditch League - Round Two - Chaser 1: Write a story with the setting: Beauxbatons. Prompts: (Picture) Black and white photographs, (Word) Shadow, (Quote) Freedom is still the most radical idea of all. — Nathaniel Branden
Hogwarts Funfair - Guess the Name - Sirius Black
The FRIENDS Competition - Season Four - Write about freedom.
The Fountain From Which Love Springs
Thanks to my wonderful teammates and Raybe for all of the help!
Sirius walked slowly around the large fountain that sat in the middle of the courtyard. It was the day before term was due to start and Sirius suspected it'd get busier once all the students had arrived. The heat was a bit too much for Sirius, but the statue—an elegant winged horse—sitting at the top of the fountain was flapping its wings and providing a much-needed breeze.
He watched the statue whilst waiting for the prefect to arrive. The large stone horse moved elegantly against the top, its wings stretching out into the air before folding against its sides. The water ran down its wings and into the base of the fountain, splashing and upsetting the otherwise calm water.
Sirius loved the sound of water. Water represented the freedom he had felt in Hogwarts: jogging in the rain with James and the other Quidditch players—because James was insane—and sitting by the fire in the common room whilst rain pelted against the windows.
He hoped the fountain was a sign that he'd be able to find freedom at Beauxbatons too, though he doubted it. He wouldn't be free to hang out with friends, play pranks, or mess with Slytherins. No more secret passages or trips to Hogsmeade.
His relationship with Gideon Prewett had been the thing to get him caught and pulled from Hogwarts. His parents had decided to send him to the same school that Andromeda had been sent to after she had been caught dating a Muggleborn. She had quickly reverted to her old self. Seeing how she had been reformed, Sirius' parents had decided that it was the best place for him too.
Someone had worked it out, told his parents and even sent them a picture of him and Gideon - and Sirius would bet his Gringotts account that this someone was Snape.
His life was over. No more Hogwarts.
Sirius kicked at some of the loose pebbles on the ground in frustration, watching them hit the base of the fountain. He'd been ordered to wait until someone collected him.
Sirius didn't expect much from the students at Beauxbatons. They would've made friends with each other over the years and Sirius would find himself alone with no one to befriend. Sure, the prefect might be nice for a few days whilst showing him around, but after that, they'd go back to their own friends and Sirius would be alone again.
Sirius stopped walking and stared into the water. The surface was shimmering under the hot sun and Sirius pulled at the neck of the Quidditch top he'd stolen from James. It suited him better than it suited James anyway. Blue really wasn't his colour. He looked much better in red. It brought out the colour of his lips. Plus, the Hogwarts Quidditch top pissed off his parents.
"Excuse me? Are you Sirius Black? I'm Remus Lupin."
Sirius quickly spun around and his eyes widened as he looked at the other teen. He hadn't expected someone so attractive. Remus Lupin was beautiful; it was difficult not to stare. Remus was a few inches taller than him with shaggy, dark-blond hair falling into his eyes. He reached to brush it away, revealing long lashes and startling amber eyes that made Sirius' knees weak. Sirius let his gaze drift down Remus' face, examining the few freckles on his nose, the scar and his soft, inviting looking lips.
"I am," Sirius finally replied.
"I'm here to show you around. I saw you admiring our fountain. Did you know that the fountain was built during Nicholas Flamel's tenure here? People believe it has beautifying and healing properties." Remus hesitated. "Can I ask what you think of Beauxbatons so far?"
Sirius took in the genuine smile and the warmth in Remus' eyes. He hadn't expected someone who genuinely cared about his opinion.
He knew he was staring again, but Remus seemed to be staring back.
Sirius' gaze drifted down to the Beauxbatons uniform. It wasn't as bad as he had thought that morning. In fact, the blue uniform seemed to show off the other boy's beauty in a way a Hogwarts uniform wouldn't have.
"It's perfect. I may make use of the fountain for the beautifying properties," Sirius said, finally answering the question.
Remus couldn't hide his surprise. "Why? How would you ever get any more beaut…" he trailed off, his eyes widening. "I mean… I… it'd be different if you... I come here sometimes. It doesn't work. I..." he gestured to his face. "Silly, I know…"
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Of course it wouldn't work for you."
Remus' smile faded.
Sirius moved closer. "Because you're already perfect. You couldn't get any more beautiful so the fountain is redundant to you," he said softly. "We're in the same year here, right?"
"You'll be in my year." Remus' face was red now and he could barely meet Sirius' gaze. "That's why I was asked to be the one to show you around. You'll actually be staying in my room, if that's okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be okay with that?"
Remus hesitated once more. "Because I'm a lycanthrope. Students are roomed in threes and fours usually, but prefects get to have a room for two people. My last roommate left because he got uncomfortable with what I am and this is the only space at the moment."
Sirius was silent for a long moment. This boy had just outright admitted his condition and he wasn't sure what to say.
"I'm not dangerous," Remus assured him. "I promise you. Precautions are taken for those of us here with mixed blood. But if you want someone else to show you around or a different room—"
"No," Sirius said, quickly interrupting him. "I want you to show me around. Your room is perfect."
Sirius was happy with the smile on his new friend's face. He had the horrible suspicion that Remus didn't have any friends in the school because a friend would have been happy to share that room.
Sirius silently vowed to be his friend. No one should ever feel so alone. He grasped around for a way to change the subject.
"You know, I might not look so good when I put my own uniform on. Blue isn't my colour at all."
Remus snorted. "You'd look good in anything."
"I look better out of it," Sirius murmured with a wink.
"I'm sure," Remus laughed. "Now, let me show you around the grounds."
The pair began walking and there was silence as they headed across the plush lawn. They kept close to the school to make the most of the shade that it offered as they walked in its shadow.
"These are the stables where we house the Abraxan horses," Remus said, pointing towards the buildings where some men were grooming some large, beautiful winged horses. Sirius couldn't help but notice that they looked like the horse on the fountain. "If you take Magical Creatures, you'll end up meeting them."
"I've never been around a horse. Winged or otherwise," Sirius replied.
"It's a good experience. Do you have any questions about Beauxbatons?"
"Are there Houses here?" Sirius asked.
Remus shook his head. "No. Rooms are by year and each year has its own common room. There's also a shared common room for everyone. It's useful for tutoring sessions and team meetings where the teams are from different years. Students see each other for the big and little brother or sister programme too. The smaller dorms are closed over holidays. Anyone staying is encouraged to use the large one instead."
"Do you stay during the holidays?" Sirius asked.
"I do. My parents travel a lot for work. What about you?" Remus asked. "Did you stay a lot back at Hogwarts?"
"I did. I'll probably stick around here too if you don't mind the company."
Remus beamed at him and Sirius was so transfixed that he almost didn't see the tree in front of him.
"If you don't have houses, how do you play Quidditch?" Sirius asked.
"We have friendly games. There are sign-up sheets in the shared common room," Remus said. "Anything that goes on the board there appears in the individual ones too so go check it out. The school also has a magnificent library. We get donations from the Flamel family every so often and the school gets improved. The library was a few years ago. Most recent was the maze last year."
"Maze?" Sirius asked excitedly.
Remus nodded. "The maze is amazing. It's charmed so each night it changes around. There's a nice area in the centre with some trees and flowers. It's always so quiet in there and I like to take a book in with me."
"Maybe, when we have some free time, you can show me?" Sirius suggested.
"I'll show you everything I know," Remus assured him. "Come, let's head inside."
The pair rounded a corner and walked past elaborate displays of flowers and plants. "Herbology. You learn about Muggle and magical plants and flowers alike. You also get assigned to a patch of garden to tend them. Ah. Let's go back in this door."
As the pair entered, Sirius heard a faint tinkling sound and Remus let out a sigh. "That means I have to bring you back upstairs. Do you want me to wait for you?"
"I'd really like that… if you aren't too busy or anything?" Sirius winced at sounding so eager and he tried to sound less so as he continued, "I mean, you do have to show me to our room. You sound like you like reading. I hope you saved me some space or will I have to sleep on a pile of books?"
"I'm sure you'll find the books wonderful bedmates," Remus laughed.
"Not to worry. If there's no space in my bed, I'll just share with you."
"I'm sure your boyfriend or girlfriend wouldn't approve."
Sirius was stumped for a moment. He looked questioningly at Remus who gave Sirius' Quidditch top a pointed look. Sirius followed his gaze and chuckled when he realised that he was wearing a top which said 'POTTER' in large golden letters. "James Potter is my best friend. He's like a brother to me. Seriously, Remus, if you wanted to find out whether I was single, you only had to ask."
Remus blushed and Sirius moved closer as they walked. "I assure you I'm very single," Sirius said. "Well, I better go into the office. I think you should stay back a bit because my parents aren't nice people."
Remus nodded and Sirius moved towards the office.
When he walked out of it earlier, he was dreading Beauxbatons. How quickly that had changed.
...oOo...
Sirius had to admit that Beauxbatons was more organised than Hogwarts. Each room had its own password and there were no students hexing each other because of what House they were in. Though Sirius enjoyed the feud with Slytherin, it made a nice change of pace not to have a quarter of the school as his enemies.
"This is our room," Remus said, pushing the door open.
Sirius looked around. The room was pretty empty apart from the two trunks. A couple of books sat on one of the bedside tables and some clothes were draped over the end of one of the beds.
"I can take the other bed if you prefer," Remus offered.
Sirius had big plans on them eventually sharing one of the beds together so he shook his head. "It's fine. So… why are the hallways so empty?"
"Because you're a transfer. The first years come in the evening and the rest of the students have a set timetable to tell them when it's their turn to arrive. I'm here a bit early because of you. I'm here to show you around."
"At Hogwarts, we all get the train," Sirius offered.
Remus snorted. "Here we have students from places like the Netherlands, Spain and France. A handful from the United Kingdom and so on. Plus there are more years at this school. If everyone turned up at the same time, there would be chaos. With the timetable, students turn up with their own year and the professors here can focus on one year group and assign rooms at a time rather than taking on too much."
Sirius couldn't argue with that. It made too much sense.
The pair chatted as they unpacked their belongings and Remus finished first. Remus sat on his bed, watching as Sirius cleared his trunk all of the way to the bottom.
"Who are those people in the photos?" Remus asked as Sirius shoved them onto the side table and shut his trunk.
Sirius turned back to the photos, grabbing them up and sitting next to Remus.
"James, Peter and me," he said, glancing at his friends and feeling sad again. Once entering the room, he had barely thought about them due to his excitement over sharing with Remus. "My best friends."
Remus reached out for the picture. "You all look happy."
"James won a Quidditch game," Sirius said with a sigh. He let Remus examine the picture as he glanced at the next one. "These are all of me and my friends at Hogwarts."
The pair looked through the pictures with Sirius telling Remus about each one until they reached the end.
"And you have some pictures too?" Sirius gestured to the photos next to Remus' bed.
Remus nodded. "The first one if of my mum, dad and me. It was taken before I… we all look so happy there. The other one was taken on my sixteenth birthday. Sixteen is an important birthday in the Muggle world."
"You all look so happy in that one too," Sirius pointed out. "Your parents look really nice. They clearly dote on you." He felt envious of the way the people were hugging Remus. His own parents never treated him like that.
Remus clearly worked that out for himself as he put a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "They are… but I'm sure you already know that family doesn't end in blood. Sometimes family are the people we choose for ourselves."
...oOo...
Dining was a whole new experience. Hogwarts occasionally had their choir out, but it was nothing compared to the music played by the wood-nymphs in the dining hall.
They played beautiful music from instruments they created themselves. Sirius enjoyed the music as he took a seat at an empty table with Remus.
"Do they put food out on the tables like at Hogwarts?"
Remus shook his head. "A menu will appear on your plate. It's got something for everyone so you don't need to worry about not liking anything. The desserts are amazing here. I eat so much chocolate that I fear I'll put on weight."
"Hey. Are you Sirius Black? The new student? Why don't you join us?"
Sirius turned around, spotting a group of students starting to sit at the next table. They looked to be around his age and he smiled at them, liking the prospect of making more friends. He glanced at Remus but his friend was looking away.
"Remus?"
"You go ahead," Remus murmured.
Sirius quickly assessed the situation. The group had arrived after them and not joined them. Sirius realised that the invitation was only for him and not Remus.
"I'll stay here with my friend," Sirius said. He smiled at Remus. "Have some faith, love. I'm not going anywhere."
Remus smiled back and Sirius shifted his chair slightly closer, trying to think of something to say that would impress Remus. He was saved when he heard the scrape of a chair. They both looked over to where three people were joining their table.
"Cousin," Andromeda said, glancing between the pair.
"Andy," he said warmly, leaning over and hugging her. "You look surprised."
Andromeda and her friends sat down at the table. "Clearly Mother doesn't trust me with the news. These are my friends, Béatrice and Ted."
"Wait. Didn't you go to Hogwarts?" Sirius asked suspiciously, his gaze lingering on Ted.
Ted looked innocent and shrugged, shaking his head though his smile gave him away. "I'm a new student here," he replied instead. "Us newbies should stick together."
Sirius grinned and nodded. "This is my friend and roommate, Remus."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Andromeda said. "So, when we write home to our family, I'm sure neither of us has any news to share?" she asked, pointedly.
"You wound me," Sirius murmured. "You know I just want you to be happy."
"My apologies." She had the decency to look ashamed of her words. "I am so used to our family being… I forget that a few of us are different. You look happy. It's a good look on you."
"As do you. I will of course inform my mother of your Pureblood friend, Béatrice, and how she's making an excellent impression on you."
"And I will inform my mother that you're shunning those with lower blood," Andromeda said with a giggle.
Before they could talk more, the candles on each table lit up.
"Now we stand," Remus muttered to Sirius. They all stood, and Sirius was very aware of his arm pressed against Remus'.
He felt nervous. Not because of the new school and people. Not because the headmistress was formidable and quite frightening compared to Professor Dumbledore.
No. It was because his fingers had brushed against Remus' and all he could think about was holding Remus' hand.
"I'm very single too," Remus whispered, not looking at him.
Sirius grinned, letting his fingers gently curl around Remus' as he shifted so their hands were out of sight. He glanced at his cousin and noticed she was doing the same.
They shared a smile before turning their attention back to the headmistress. Maybe coming to Beauxbatons was the best thing that had ever happened to them.
2982 words
I kinda want to write more based around Sirius meeting Remus in Beauxbatons...